Ford made a big deal about the Mustang GTD’s rear suspension when the car debuted in 2023. That’s because the setup is unlike anything used on Mustangs in the car’s 60-year history. It’s a semi-active inboard pushrod setup developed for the new Mustang GT3 race car, and Ford is very proud of it. The company is so proud that it’s literally on display in every production GTD through a “suspension window” where the back seat would normally be.
The window is polycarbonite and spans roughly two feet, enough to see the springs and massive dampers mounted horizontally between the rear wheels. The race-derived setup uses two springs per damper, which Ford says gives the GTD a comfortable ride on the street. When track mode is engaged, one of the springs is hydraulically compressed. This effectively doubles the spring rate while dropping the ride height by an inch and a half. The result is improved grip and handling through mechanical changes and aerodynamic efficiencies.
A video shared by Ford shows the springs and dampers constantly moving as the GTD runs around a track, giving buyers an idea of what to expect. It’s a neat perspective we seldom see in a race car, never mind something designed for use on the street. Watching it all in action is amazing. You don’t need an engineering degree to be fascinated by the suspension doing its thing.
“We’ve never done a suspension like this on Mustang,” said Mustang GTD Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall. “To meet the aggressive lap time targets we set, we looked to motorsports for that inspiration to do something really advanced. This cutting-edge suspension and advanced dampers are key to turning a Mustang into a Mustang GTD.”
Having 800-plus horsepower doesn’t hurt, either. The final power figure hasn’t been announced yet, but the supercharged V-8 will send those ponies to a rear-mounted transaxle designed to give the GTD a near 50/50 weight distribution. Combined with the suspension and a distinct lack of creature comforts, Ford is targeting a Nurburgring lap time under 7 minutes. That would make the Mustang GTD the fastest American production car to lap the 12.9-mile Nordschleife loop, besting the Dodge Viper ACR’s best time of 7:01.03.
Ford is planning a two-year production run for the GTD, building just a few hundred each year at an estimated price of $325,000. By contrast, the company has over 7,500 applications from people wanting to buy one.
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