Fords has announced it is to return to sportscar racing with a GT3 version of the Mustang from 2024. The car will be developed as a joint program between Ford Performance and long-time racing collaborator Multimatic Motorsports, with the latter running two factory-backed cars in IMSA GTD, alongside customer entries.
“Mustang was born to race from the start and we’re thrilled to introduce the GT3 version to compete head-to-head against some of the greatest manufacturers in the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance Motorsports global director. “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.
“Multimatic Motorsports is the perfect partner on this project for us,” continued Rushbrook. “Not only have they worked with us to develop numerous customer Mustang programs in the past, but its work on the Ford GT program and the new Bronco DR customer race programs has shown together we can provide championship-level race programs for Ford and its customers.”
The Mustang will be powered by a Ford 5.0-liter Coyote-based V8 engine developed by Ford Performance and built by long-time racing collaborator M-Sport in Cumbria, UK, which sees the team responsible for Ford’s presence in the WRC move back into the GT3 arena, following the end of Bentley’s racing efforts.
“We are delighted to be broadening our relationship with Ford and extending it into the racing world after a very successful 25 years together in the World Rally Championship, which is once again delivering stunning results with the Puma Hybrid Rally1,” said Malcom Wilson, owner of M-Sport.
“M-Sport has a wealth and depth of circuit racing knowledge and expertise, particularly from our GT3 program that used an M-Sport-developed V8 engine for GT3 that powered us to victory in the 2020 Bathurst 12-hour race and 2019 1,000km of Paul Ricard.
“Our most recent engine project has seen us become the official British Touring Car Championship engine supplier which also uses Ford engine architecture,” Wilson added. “We are very excited about working directly with Ford Performance and Multimatic on the Mustang GT3 and will be working very hard, leaving no stone unturned as we join forces to fight for more victories around the world.”
