Ford Mustang GT3 racer breaks cover at Le Mans
In a presentation at Le Mans the day before the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes the green flag, Ford has formally unveiled the Ford Mustang GT3, which is expected to race globally with customer teams in as many as 100 series that feature production-based GT cars, such as IMSA, the WEC and the SRO.
Based on the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, the Mustang race car has a new look from Troy Lee, who is recognized as one of the premier motorsports designers in the world. The legendary Mustang GT3 represents Lee’s first foray with Ford race cars.
With the reveal, Ford officially enters Mustang into the global FIA GT3 category. Chevrolet has unveiled a Corvette GT3 car based on the Z06 that will debut in the U.S. against the Mustang GT3 car at the 2024 IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
“Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we’re coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world. It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone. Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road,” said Jim Farley, Ford CEO.
To coincide with the unveiling, Ford also is revealing new, global Ford Performance branding – a cleaner, simplified look that will now be featured on all its racing vehicles. This “expressive and engaging” new identity will help position Ford Performance as a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset. The new Ford Performance mark is easier to integrate across various environments and spaces, including car liveries, merchandise, apparel, display assets, parts, accessories and in advertising.
Ford Performance extended its relationship with two longtime partners in Multimatic and M-Sport for the basis of this project. Multimatic, builders of the Ford GT, were also involved in the Ford GT race program and will help build and support the Mustang GT3s, while longtime World Rally Championship partner and two-time championship winning team M-Sport will assemble the Ford Performance-developed 5.4-liter Coyote-based V-8 engines that power the GT3 car.
“For a project like the Mustang GT3, we turned to two of our most trusted partners in the motorsports world to help bring this vehicle and program together,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “I know we’ll all be as thrilled as Ford fans when Mustang begins racing at the highest levels of GT racing in 2024.”
Before going to Le Mans in 2024, the Mustang GT3 will compete in various GT3 series across the globe in the hands of customer teams. The first customer team, announced today, is Proton Competition. Based in Ehingen, Germany, Proton intends to campaign a pair of Mustang GT3s in the FIA World Endurance Championship, starting in 2024.
Multimatic will also field a two-car race program with Mustang GT3 in IMSA’s GTD class. This will be managed by Multimatic Motorsports and begin at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
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