The Ford Mustang isn’t a new name in the world of Le Mans racing, but it has been a hot minute since its presence graced the famed French endurance race. The Mustang last raced at Circuit de la Sarthe more than a quarter of a century ago, but it will return to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In fact, Farley said Ford is doing a Porsche and going all-in on customer racing. Porsche’s programs offer a clear path for hopefuls to get into the driver’s seat of a real race car, and it’s something Ford wants to tap into more as well. It’s fitting, too, as the Mustang has long offered fans affordable performance and power.
Friday’s announcement revealed that the first Mustang GT3 customer team is Germany-based Proton Competition.
The Mustang Dark Horse-based race cars will compete in both the U.S.-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Europe-based FIA World Endurance Championship in 2024, with Multimatic and M-Sport lending a hand in the car’s development. In particular, M-Sport will build the 5.4-liter Coyote-based V-8 engines. The Mustang GT3s will also have unique aero setups designed to meet race requirements, carbon-fiber body panels, transaxle gearboxes, and bespoke short-long-arm suspension setups. For today’s reveal, Ford also showed off a new Troy Lee Designs car livery, though teams are sure to run custom liveries that make the most sense for their sponsors and supporters. Also, check out that righteous wing.
GT3-class competitors include Ferrari, Porsche, and the crosstown rival Chevrolet Corvette.
It’s an interesting time to launch a new Mustang racing program, if only because the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger and Charger production cars will depart the marketplace after this year. The Mustang is not only here as a new generation, but it will also star in a number of motorsports endeavors. Indeed, it seems like Ford expects to get a lot of mileage out of the S650.
For now, Farley declined to disclose how much a new Mustang GT3 race car costs; as a data point, Porsche’s new 911 GT3 R racer is priced at more than $565,000.
Check out our interview in the video on this story and find out what to expect during the next chapter of Ford sports-car racing.
Once again, MotorTrend+ as well as the MotorTrend TV channel will be the EXCLUSIVE SPOT TO WATCH LE MANS IN THE U.S. and Canada. As the exclusive home of the 2023 Le Mans race, MotorTrend+ will bring fans unprecedented access to the entire 24-hour spectacle, including practice and qualifying beginning on Wednesday, June 7, the green flag at 9:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. PT) on June 10, and the checkered flag after a full day of furious on-track battles. In addition, MotorTrend+ users will be able to stream from the dashcams of multiple competitors (some 16 in all), and other special presentations will be available to access prior to and during the Le Mans weekend.
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