Ford’s quickest ever Mustang manufacturing automotive will probably be one of the vital costly and unique road-legal pony vehicles ever offered by the Blue Oval, however regardless of the significance of this nation’s auto market and premier motorsport collection to the efficiency mannequin line, the record-setting coupe gained’t be offered in Australia.
The Ford Mustang GTD is a GT3 racing-inspired model of the long-lasting pony automotive, and it simply grew to become the primary US manufacturing car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in lower than seven minutes.
Consider it as Ford’s tackle the Porsche 911 GT3, although the Mustang GTD is about as far faraway from the common Mustang as you may get, because of it bespoke suspension, wild aerodynamics and 600kW supercharged V8 engine.
Whereas none of those parts alone would normally forestall it from being offered right here, the GTD will stay out of bounds for Australians.
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That’s as a result of it’s being constructed solely in left-hand drive, not like mainstream Mustang variants that roll off the Flat Rock, Michigan manufacturing line for each left- and right-hand drive markets together with ours.
Chatting with CarExpert, Greg Goodall – Ford’s Chief Program Engineer for the Mustang GTD – stated the mannequin’s track-heavy focus made right-hand drive manufacture a compromise the Blue Oval model was unwilling to make.
“That’s a tough query to reply,” Mr Goodall stated when requested why right-hand drive was off the playing cards for the GTD.
“There’s a finite amount of cash, there’s a finite period of time. We actually wanted to have the crew centered on delivering a single variant that was simply all the pieces it may very well be.
“The correct-hand drive [version] simply isn’t one thing that we had been in a position to accomplish.
“We’re actually happy with what we’ve got and we hope that Australians can get to drive it someway, as a result of we care about you, however sadly there’s simply no right-hand model right now.”
Aussies shouldn’t be too dissatisfied about lacking out on the Mustang GTD, nevertheless, as it can solely be inbuilt strictly restricted numbers throughout the 2025 and 2026 mannequin years, priced at round US$325,000 (A$508,000) in North America.
Earlier this 12 months, Ford stated it’d obtained greater than 7500 expressions of curiosity for its new hero mannequin, however not all of those patrons may get one because of the manufacturing constraints.
It’s an identical scenario in Australia with the native Mustang flagship, the Darkish Horse. Regardless of being produced in limitless numbers within the US, solely 1000 examples of the Darkish Horse will probably be imported Down Beneath, and all of them had been accounted for earlier than first native deliveries befell.
That is regardless of Australia taking part in an vital function within the world launch of the new-generation S650-series Mustang.
The native Supercars Championship was the primary racing collection worldwide to see the mannequin on monitor, which resulted in a win in its debut race – albeit after the pair of Chevrolet Camaros that completed 1-2 had been disqualified.
Ford’s Mustang GTD is about as near Australia’s showroom-spec Mustang because the Supercars racer is (ie: not very).
The Mustang GTD’s supercharged 5.2-litre ‘Predator’ V8 is known to have been taken from the previous-generation Shelby GT500 and F-150 Raptor R, making it very totally different to the 5.0-litre ‘Coyote’ within the common Mustang.
It sends drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automated transaxle, which includes the transmission and differential in a single rear-mounted unit.
The double-wishbone entrance suspension and pushrod rear suspension incorporate Adaptive Spool Valve shock absorbers and coil-over springs, serving to maintain management of the Mustang GTD in tandem with 20-inch wheels (shod in Michelin Cup 2 tyres) and Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.
An elective efficiency pack – fitted to the instance which set the ‘Ring time – contains vital beauty adjustments corresponding to entrance aerodynamic dive planes, a bigger splitter, underbody aero, a Components 1-style rear wing drag discount system, sound deadening removing and 20-inch magnesium wheels.
Inside is the place the GTD seems to be extra like a Mustang GT, although the cabin includes distinctive Recaro seats, bespoke show graphics, titanium gear paddles, a ‘monitor apps’ button and a entrance suspension elevate button.
Behind the entrance occupants sits a transparent window moderately than seats, permitting them to view the bespoke pushrod suspension of the GTD.
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