2025 Ford Mustang GTD: Not a Shortened Religious Epithet, But It May as Well Be
Competes with: Aston Martin DB12, Ferrari 296 GTB, Maserati MC20, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS and 911 GT3 RS (not kidding)
Looks like: Pure insanity
Powertrain: Estimated 800-plus-horsepower, supercharged 5.2-liter V-8; eight-speed dual-clutch transmission; rear-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: “Late 2024, early 2025”
Ford revealed the GT3 racing version of its all-new Mustang ahead of the 2023 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, and now it’s decided it should build a version of that racecar — for the street. Meet the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD: a street-legal, high-performance Mustang built in partnership with Multimatic, the same folks who helped bring the Ford GT to life.
Related: 2024 Ford Mustang GT Review: Stomping Into the Future
What Is the GTD?
Ford named the Mustang after the International Motor Sports Association’s GTD racing class. Since the Mustang GTD has no racing restrictions, however, it also has features Ford isn’t allowed to put into its racecars. The result is a supercar that seems more than capable of giving more exotic automakers a run for their money, just like the Le Mans-winning GT did, as well as meeting Ford’s stated goal of a sub-7-minute lap around the famed Nurburgring.
Power comes from a GTD-specific version of Ford’s supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 with a 7,500-rpm redline, dual air inlets and dry-sump engine oil system; the latter is the first application of such technology in a road-legal Mustang. There are no official power figures yet, but Ford says it’s targeting more than 800 horsepower and that it will be the highest-horsepower street-legal Mustang ever developed. The engine is connected to the GTD’s eight-speed dual-clutch rear transmission via a carbon-fiber driveshaft, which Ford says helps the GTD achieve a nearly 50/50 weight distribution. If you want it to sound even more impressive, a titanium active-valve exhaust is optional.
The GTD’s suspension offers independently adjustable ride height and spring rates, and the GTD’s track is almost 4 inches wider than the Mustang GT’s, according to Ford; it’s also more than an inch and a half lower than the Mustang GT when in Track mode. Up front, the suspension is a short-long arm setup, while Ford went even crazier in back, giving the GTD a horizontally mounted pushrod setup with an integrated tubular subframe. To fit all that, Ford put it where the trunk would traditionally be, along with cooling for the transaxle and more.
In Track mode, drivers can also adjust the traction control on the fly via steering wheel controls, allowing for real-time tweaks to the level of automated intervention. The 325-millimeter-wide front tires and 345-millimeter-wide rears should provide ample grip.
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All About Aero and Lightness
Power and a trick suspension aren’t the only things the GTD has up its sleeve; aerodynamics and weight play a major role in getting it around a track as quickly as possible, too.
The standard 20-inch wheels are made out of magnesium for both lightness and durability. And since there’s no functional trunk, instead of a trunk lid, there’s an integrated cover made out of carbon fiber; the fenders, hood, door sills, roof, front splitter and rear diffuser are all carbon fiber, and carbon-fiber front and rear fascias are available, as well.
Besides the suspension, the once-functional trunk space also contains a hydraulic control system that adjusts the available C-pillar-mounted wing and front flaps — active aerodynamic features that are not legal in most racing series. The front flaps are part of a larger optional aerodynamic package that also includes a motorsports-inspired carbon-fiber underbody tray.
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Focused Cockpit
One area where the Mustang GTD differs from a true track car is its interior, which isn’t entirely bare bones. Cabin materials include premium Miko suede and leather, and the requisite carbon-fiber accents, as well. The front seats are Recaro-brand buckets, and available features include 3D-printed titanium paddle shifters, a rotary gear selector and serial plate made from retired Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter jet parts. Ford eliminated the backseat to save weight and give owners a semi-useful cargo area.
Customization, Pricing and Availability
Ford says buyers can customize the interior of their Mustang GTD with a variety of color combinations, and the exterior has a number of optional appearance packages. Buyers can also provide a paint sample and have their car color-matched; there’s no word on what that will cost, but for reference, Porsche’s similar Paint to Sample Plus option costs just over $30,000. Ford’s version is unlikely to be low-cost.
And the Mustang GTD itself is going to cost a pretty penny, too. Official pricing hasn’t yet been announced but Ford says it will have a base MSRP of around $300,000 — firmly in exotic supercar territory.
Ford says the Mustang GTD will be available in “late 2024, early 2025,” but hasn’t revealed how many of the limited-edition performance car it plans to make.
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