Ford Stole F1 Tech For Mustang GTD

Ford’s Mustang is coming to Le Mans in GT3 trim, and amid the spectacle, Ford has also revealed an insane performance package for the street-legal Mustang GTD.

This Mustang gleefully blurs the line between road and racetrack. The GTD's Performance package adds dive planes and a splitter to the front fascia, along with underbody aero flaps and a drag reduction system similar to what's used in Formula 1 integrated within the massive rear wing. A Lightweight package sheds sound-deadening material and adds 20-inch magnesium wheels. Ford showcased the package with the Mustang GTD dripping in a new paint color called Chroma Flame.

Ford won't say how much the Performance pack will cost, yet, it does claim the package is crucial for achieving a sub-seven-minute lap time at the Nürburgring–lending belief to the theory the Mustang GTD has already achieved a seven-minute lap during its recent visit to Eiffel.

“Many sports cars excel at one thing. But for a car to set a quick lap at the Nürburgring, it needs to be great at everything. Cornering, grip, braking, acceleration, there’s not a single area where it can’t shine,” said Mustang GTD Chief Engineer Greg Goodall. “From the lightweight carbon fiber body on every GTD to the active aerodynamics of the Performance package, we’ve learned from motorsport how to make the Mustang GTD excel everywhere, all in the quest for a sub-seven-minute lap of the Nürburgring.”

In addition to the Performance and Lightweight packages, Ford will offer the GTD in a Carbon Series–a project first pioneered on the Ford GT program. This series features unpainted carbon fiber on the hood, roof, and parts of the decklid, with a Magnetite finish on the wheels, available in both aluminum and magnesium. The Carbon Series can be paired with one of six standard exterior colors.

Inside the GTD, the design remains distinctly Mustang with integrated 13.2-inch and 12.4-inch screens, similar to those in Premium trims. Standard features include Recaro seats, unique display graphics, titanium shift paddles, and two new buttons on the center console for Track Apps and a front-axle lift feature. A GTD-specific steering wheel is also part of the package, and there is a clear window in the rear to view the pushrod suspension.

Ford plans a limited two-year production run for the GTD, with an estimated 1,400 units. The price tag is a staggering $325,000 minimum. Despite this, Ford has received over 7,500 applications from eager buyers in the US and Canada, now closed to further entries. But the hunt for European buyers is just beginning.

This article was co-written using AI and was then heavily edited and optimized by our editorial team.

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