On Tuesday, the legendary automaker Ford Motor Company unveiled a new Mustang GT4 model ready to race at the world’s most competitive circuits. Ford introduced the new Mustang during the first day of the 2016 Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Ford exhibition at SEMA and the reveal of the Mustang GT4 are the latest developments in the company’s resurgence in the racing world. Most recently, Ford started rolling out its 2017 GT models to a select few hundred owners.
The automaker is also setting ambitious goals for itself in the future. Ford announced back in September a master plan to enter the consumer market with affordable driverless cars by the year 2025. Ford’s initiative will most likely compete against others from industry leaders like Tesla, Renault-Nissan, Mercedes, and more.
Ford’s Mustang GT4 has a tremendous history behind it
Ford notes that the Mustang GT4 is the latest legacy vehicle in a long lineup of iconic racecars by the American manufacturer. The automaker had dominated the world’s top tracks like Le Mans with its signature Ford GT’s winning streak in the 1960s.
In its particular racing category, the new Mustang will succeed other Ford models like the Shelby GT350R, the Trans-Am Boss 302, the FR500, the Boss 302R, and the Shelby GT350R-C.
The Shelby GT350R-C is the latest Ford champion in the world of racing, having won its first season of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge earlier this year.
The upcoming Ford Mustang GT4 is based on the Shelby GT350R-C, and it intends to perpetuate its legacy in farther frontiers. The GT4 is fully equipped to race competitively in its Grand Tourer category right away.
“The new Mustang is a global vehicle. Now, its growing fan base has a GT4 competition model to race and support around the globe,” said Mark Rushbrook, a motorsports engineering manager for Ford Performance.
Ford packs impressive racer features in the Mustang GT4
Ford’s new Mustang GT4 is a Mustang overhauled with GT features with a primary objective to accomplish: win on the world’s top racing arenas.
Some of the industry’s biggest names have teamed up with Ford to tune up the Mustang GT4. Multimatic Motorsports and Ford Motor Company created an all-new body for the Mustang GT4 inspired by the Shelby GT350R-C; giving it a new setup of dampers, lower rear control arms, and stabilization mechanisms.
Furthermore, the car sports more aerodynamic features to enhance racing performance like more hood vents, rear wing and diffuser, and a new splitter. The Mustang’s new looks are not just for show, as the little-known powertrain specs are equally impressive.
Ford equipped the Mustang GT4 with a 5.2-liter flat-plane V8 engine and a Hollinger paddle-shift transmission of six speeds. The interior of the car meets FIA standards with its built-in roll cage, while Motec provides the dash logger for data input on the Mustang’s board.
The race-ready Mustang GT4 will be on exhibit at Ford’s area of the Las Vegas Convention Center until the end of the week, and it will hit racetracks around the world next year. SEMA 2016 runs from November 1 until November 4.
Source: Ford
