The Ford Mustang GTD is now the alpha Mustang. Even the ‘Boss’ and the ‘Dark Horse’ are just tame ponies compared to this machine. As a GTD, the Mustang is a full-fledged track tool for the public road and is also the most extreme Ford of all time.
What exactly is the Ford Mustang GTD: a street car or a race car?
According to Ford boss Jim Farley, the GTD is “not an upgraded street car, but a tamed race car.” This is not marketing talk. The GTD is a direct derivative of the GT3 race car. The car is built by the Canadian specialist Multimatic, who completely strips the standard body and rebuilds it with carbon fiber panels. The aerodynamics are extreme: from the ‘nostrils’ in the hood and the huge slots in the fenders to the gigantic, active rear spoiler that could serve as the wing of AirForce One. All this is designed to stick the car to the asphalt and make life difficult for competitors such as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
What makes this car the strongest Mustang ever?
The beating heart of the Mustang GTD is a 5.2-liter V8 with a supercharger. This block, sharpened from Ford’s racing program, delivers 826 hp and more than 900 Nm of torque. This makes the GTD officially the strongest and fastest Mustang for the public road that Ford has ever built. The power is transferred to the rear via a carbon fiber driveshaft. There, for perfect weight balance, is an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. This transaxle setup fills half of the trunk, the other half is taken up by the cooling system.
How do the specifications translate into the driving experience?
The performances are breathtaking. The Ford Mustang GTD has a top speed of 325 km/h and the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just over 3 seconds. On the Autobahn, the car feels surprisingly manageable and almost relaxed at 250 km/h. The true nature comes out on provincial roads, especially in Race mode. In this position, which can only be activated when stationary, the car drops 4 centimeters thanks to the hydraulically controlled Multimatic chassis. The GTD then turns into a predator that devours the asphalt and sticks to the road.
Compared to European sports cars, the GTD is more of a sledgehammer than a precision instrument, but it offers buckets of character and enormous grip. He proved his skills on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with a lap time of under 7 minutes.
Is the interior of the Ford Mustang GTD at the same level as the performance?
Here, the Mustang GTD falls short. The interior, given the price, is disappointingly and carelessly finished. There is a lot of plastic in carbon look and the switches feel simple. This does not suit a car in this segment. As compensation, Ford has removed the rear seat, which provides space for a small bag. A unique detail is a transparent cover that provides a view of the anodized, hydraulic chassis at the rear. Upgrades are available for an as yet unknown surcharge, such as paddle shifters and a titanium gear knob, derived from old F-22 jet fighters.
What is the price and availability of the Ford Mustang GTD?
The Ford Mustang GTD is extremely exclusive and very expensive. The production is very limited: Ford does not build even a thousand cars per year. To prevent speculation and ‘flipping’, Ford has included a clause: owners may not resell their Mustang GTD during the first two years.
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