Back in June, Ford Authority spotted a heavily-camouflaged yet also clearly racing-focused Ford Mustang mule out testing, which at that time seemed likely to be a new, road-going version of the GT3 racer. With The Blue Oval embarking on a full-blown motorsports renaissance with the S650-generation pony car as its centerpiece, CEO Jim Farley had previously hinted that such a machine was in the works, but as it turns out, that’s not what this particular mule was. Rather, sources familiar with the matter have now told Ford Authority that this was actually a mule for the recently-revealed Ford Mustang GTD.
While this Ford Mustang GTD mule was wearing wide fenders along with extra-large wheels and tires and a center-exit exhaust, it wasn’t equipped with the massive rear wing present on the actual production version. Now that the Mustang GTD has been officially revealed, it’s pretty clear that this mule was in fact being used to test the upcoming “ultimate” version of the long-running pony car, which aims to compete with some of the very best sports cars on the planet.
The street-legal GTD does share a lot in common with the track-only GT3, which is equipped with carbon fiber parts including the fenders, hood, trunk lid, door sills, front splitter, rear diffuser, and roof, along with optional carbon fiber front and rear fascias and an aero package with even more lightweight bits and pieces.
Powered by a purpose-built supercharged 5.2L V8, the Ford Mustang GTD will produce at least 800 horsepower, and it’s mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch rear transaxle. Additional tweaks include a short-long arm front suspension, an integral link pushrod and rocker arm rear suspension, and Adaptive Spool Valve shock absorbers and coil springs, all of which helps give the GTD a near 50-50 weight distribution.
We’ll have more on the Ford Mustang GTD soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Mustang news and continuous Ford news coverage.
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