Ford has unveiled its new GT3 racecar, the Ford Mustang GT3, in a public unveiling at Le Mans.
The Ford Mustang GT3 will race globally in both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Proton Competition, which has raced Porsches in GT classes for many years, has been confirmed as Ford’s first customer team for WEC competition, with intent to enter a two-car team to the new LMGT3 class next year. Multimatic, a long-time Ford partner, will run the IMSA programme, which will also feature two cars in the GTD Pro category, debuting at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next year.
The Mustang GT3 is based on the new Mustang Dark Horse roadcar. It’s the American manufacturer’s first global GT3 racecar, and signifies its return to Le Mans after last racing in the French endurance classic in 2019 with the Chip Ganassi-run factory Ford GT programme.
The car features a 5.4-liter V8 engine, based on the ‘Coyote’ platform. These engines will be assembled by Ford’s World Rally Championship partner M-Sport. The new car also features bespoke short-long arm suspension, a rear mounted transaxle gearbox, carbon fibre body panels, and a unique aero configuration designed to meet GT3 aero targets.
“Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Proton Competition team principal Christian Reid said, “This is a very important program and an exciting moment for our organization.
“The Mustang is a great brand and this is an important step for our team. We look forward to joining with Ford starting in 2024.”
