Interested in a Mustang GT3-Inspired Road Car? Ford CEO Jim Farley Wants To Know
The CEO takes to Twitter to ask if Ford should make a "road version" of its Mustang GT3 racer.
Generally speaking, if you ask a bunch of car enthusiasts if they want a street version of [insert virtually any race car here], the answer will generally be "yes." This goes double when the race car is based on a highly anticipated model like the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently tweeted a video of the new Ford Mustang GT3 race car doing some test laps around Sebring Raceway. He followed up that tweet by simply asking "Should we make a road version?"
0:00 / 0:00
Spending just a few moments reading the replies will more than prove that our theory is sound. People were practically trying to get their pre-orders in via tweet at the mere thought of a 2024 Ford Mustang GT3 road car. We can't say that we blame them for wanting it, or Farley for posing the question. Porsche has been making road versions of its race cars for decades and it's worked out pretty well for that company. The same can be said for Chevrolet and the Corvette. Ford's most recent foray into that arena was the GT supercar, which was developed largely in reverse—it was made to go racing; the road version was a required homologation special.
Considering that the upcoming Mustang may be the last pure ICE 'stang from the automaker, it seems like the perfect candidate for a racy overhaul. Besides, Ford did make a point to announce GT3 racing when the new Mustang was revealed, noting how its GT3 racer (and other motorsports-ready 'stangs) would be based on the Mustang Dark Horse.
Therein lies a small rub, though—if the GT3 racer is built off the Mustang Dark Horse, wouldn't a roadgoing GT3 racer just be... a Dark Horse? Hey, obviously a mention in a tweet is hardly "confirmation" that a roadgoing Ford Mustang GT3 car apart from the Dark Horse is imminent. If such a standalone GT3 model were to happen, it would likely not be for the 2024 model year, as Ford probably wouldn't want anything to steal the Dark Horse's thunder. However, if there are any conspiracy theorists out there who believe the Dark Horse may be a "feeler" for a 2025 GT3 model, we wouldn't dismiss them completely.
We're definitely going to keep it in mind the next time we're granted time with Jim Farley or any other Mustang product execs. If there are answers to be had, we're going to do our best to dig them up. For now, all we can do is put our chins in our hands and daydream about the possibility of a GT3-derived 2024 Ford Mustang for the street.
Stay Ahead of the Curve.
Get the newest car reviews, hottest auto news, and expert analysis of the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox!
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
Read More
