Ford Performance teases next-gen Mustang-based GT3 racer

Ford Performance has confirmed it is teaming up with Multimatic and M-Sport to develop an all-new GT3 racer based on the next-generation Mustang due to appear by the end of this year.

Suggesting it will continue to do duty in Ford's new S650-series pony car, the all-new GT3 race car will be powered by the 5.0-litre Coyote V8 that powers the current Ford Mustang GT road car and once starred in the Falcon XR8. The race engine has been further enhanced by Ford Performance and will be built by M-Sport.

In Australia M-Sport is best known as the team that helped Bentley clinch the 2020 Bathurst 12-hour and it has gone on to field the all-new Puma Hybrid1 that recently won the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally in its first outing.

Developed to conform to strict FIA regs, the Mustang GT3 will bring significant upgrades over the road-going version, including completely new suspension, plus a rear-mounted transaxle for better weight distribution.

Cutting the kilos, the GT3 car will feature a full carbon-fibre body and a huge adjustable aero package.

Building the car will be Canadian manufacturing expert Multimatic, which has worked on Mustang racers in the past, built the Ford GT supercar for the Blue Oval and most recently worked on the Bronco DR customer racer program.

Helping hone the new Mustang GT3 on track will be American racer Joey Hand, who won the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours GTE class in a Ford GT.

Ford says it plans to enter a factory-backed Mustang GT3 in the 2024 Rolex 24 Daytona endurance race, with first customer cars ready for the beginning of the 2024 race season.

Commenting on the new Mustang racer, Mark Rushbrook Ford Performance Motorsports boss, said: "With 58 years of global endurance racing heritage, including NASCAR and Australian Supercars today, we are ready to take Mustang to the next level of global performance."

As well as the Mustang GT3, Ford has confirmed that it will also introduce a replacement for its current Mustang GT4 that was launched back in 2016. The entry-level Mustang GT4 racer will land in 2023, the first full year of global sales for the new S650 Mustang.