What's the news?
Have you ever felt the desire to thrash a race-prepared Mustang on track against hordes of Porsches, BMWs and Astons? Of course you have, and the announcement of a GT4-spec Mustang by Ford Performance is sure to set many a Pony fan's pulse racing. The GT4 category caters for lightly-modified road cars, and key to its appeal are the strict balance of performance rules. All cars are tested by the FIA prior to their homologation to ensure close parity between the different makes and models competing, so the racing is guaranteed to be close. This competitiveness is further aided by the banning of any further development once eligibility for the class is achieved, and every car runs on tightly regulated control tyres.
So, what's been changed on the Mustang? Famous tuner Roush Yates aided in the 5.2-litre V8 engine's development, which is dry-sumped to prevent oil starvation in high-g corners. Power (no official figure just yet) is transmitted through a six-speed pneumatically-actuated Holinger gearbox and uprated ZF twin-plate clutch, and the suspension is beefed up accordingly with trick Multimatic dampers and anti-roll bars, while big Brembo calipers and discs take care of deceleration.
It certainly looks the business, with fat 18-inch x 11-inch lightweight Forgeline wheels at each corner, framed by a host of aero addenda like the Ford GT-inspired spoiler, splitter and diffuser. Inside you'll find the usual safety scaffolding and a MoTeC digital dash with data logging, handy for analysing just how much more throttle you need to carry through Eau Rouge...
The car as a whole is closely based on the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge-winning Shelby GT350R-C (and breathe), so expect it to be quick straight off the bat. Ford Performance global director David Pericak said: "As the Mustang nameplate continually expands its presence in markets throughout the world, so does our relevant motorsport presence. The Mustang GT4 is equipped to compete and win on tracks around the globe, and we expect it to be as popular with racers as its production sibling is with consumers."