How Similar Is Ford's Mustang GT3 Racer to a Mustang You Can Buy? Closer Than You Think
Sure, it has a roll cage and some modifications, but the GT3 starts life as a regular Mustang.
Let's go ahead and get the obvious out of the way: the 2024 Ford Mustang GT3 is a racecar, and it is quite a bit more muscular than a regular Mustang you buy off the dealer lot. It comes with a full roll cage, only runs on race gas, and has zero emissions equipment onboard. With that out of the way, it's sort of surprising to see just how much of the production Mustang as it left Ford's Flint Rock, Michigan, assembly plant is left in the GT3.
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That crossover is key to not only the FIA GT3 ruleset but IMSA's adoption of those rules for GT Daytona (GTD): give the fans something as close to production cars on the racetrack as safely and entertainingly as possible. Let's compare the Mustang GT3 to its homologation car, the Dark Horse, and Ford's upcoming supercoupe, the Mustang GTD. After all, as Ford itself pointed out when the Dark Horse was unveiled along with the rest of the current-gen Mustang lineup, its role is to serve as the stepping stone to racing Mustang variants.
A Body In White That's Actually Grey
The base of a compliant GT3 race car—the main portion of the body, the firewalls, and floor—must be derived from a production car. That means everything you see on the Mustang GT3's body that is grey in color is original Flint Rock metal. There is very little that the Multimatic team—the builders of all Mustang GT3s and the upcoming GTD—are allowed to remove from the original Mustang body-in-white to create the racecar version, at least in the grand scheme of things. Even the stock door latch remains, though on the Mustang GT3 it secures the carbon fiber replacement doors.
The few modifications to the body-in-white facilitate the 14-inch-wide and 28-inch-diameter maximum wheel and tire dimensions; close any open spaces between the cockpit and the engine and fuel cell; and allow for the installation of safety equipment required by IMSA and the FIA, including the safety cage, fire suppression system, and a crash data recorder. Otherwise, the Mustang GT3 is fundamentally not much different from the one you buy off the showroom floor. Where you will see major swaths of metal removed will be ahead and behind the firewalls of the Mustang GT3 cockpit.
The Reins And Saddle Of This Racing Horse
The interior of the Mustang GT3 is all business. The steering wheel is a removable yoke, and before Tesla fans go "aha!" keep in mind that the rack-and-pinion steering system delivers full lock with a 180-degree sweep, rather than the 2.5-turns on the Tesla Model S and X Plaid models.
Just like the stock pony car, the Mustang GT3 has controls and buttons on the steering wheel, though they're arranged differently and adjust totally different vehicle parameters than audio volume or cruise control. These buttons and dials allow for quick adjustments related to engine fuel mapping, traction control, and the ABS system. Other buttons include the neutral button for the transmission, the radio talk button, a pit-in indicator, a pit speed limiter, dash display page changes, the pump for the water bottle for the driver, indicators, windshield wiper and high beam lights used for passing indication on the track.
The vents you see keep the driver cool and the Recaro seat made for the Mustang GT3 also features cooling vents for the driver's back and it feeds air from a rudimentary air-conditioning system. Unfortunately for these drivers, it's not to give you the same comfort as your Mustang's HVAC system, but to ensure the driver doesn't suffer from temperatures above "89.6 degrees maximum when the ambient temperature is less than or equal to 77 degrees" and "a temperature less than or equal to ambient temperature above 44.6 degrees if it is above 77 degrees." Not blazing hot, but you're also not cool by any measure except for the heat generated by the engine and its exhaust. This cooling system is also controlled by the driver but the cabin must remain within these mandates by the FIA.
Like the road-going Mustang, the GT3 uses a rear-mounted camera and a radar for collision avoidance. In the case of the Mustang GT3, this radar and camera are not for backing up but for watching when other competitors are coming up behind the car—fast. This is a Bosch Motorsport CAS-M3 system that will show a small triangle on screen for each car it detects and then an arrow pointing to when that car is passing on either side. The original system (CAS-M) debuted in 2013 with Corvette Racing and has been a staple of collision avoidance in many race cars ever since.
The Fire Breathing Heart
FIA GT3 rules allow for any engine to be used, but Ford is sticking with its tried-and-true Coyote architecture. That means under that carbon-fiber hood of the Mustang GT3, you'll find a Coyote DOHC V-8 similar to that in a regular Mustang GT. Of course, this thing's pretty uncorked, and it sounds more NASCAR than the V-8 powering the Chevrolet Corvette GT3 car. It also is larger, displacing 5.4 liters and lubricated via a dry sump oiling system, fed by a Ford Performance carbon-fiber intake with dual electronic throttle bodies, and managed by a Bosch Motorsport MS6.4 ECU. Exhaust gases vent out of the lower rocker, just ahead of the rear wheels.
It also doesn't have a transmission directly connected behind it like the Mustangs you can buy from your local Ford dealer right now. What you'll find is that there is a carbon-fiber prop shaft running between it and the Xtrac six-speed transaxle that's operated by an electronically actuated four-plate AP racing clutch. While this separation of engine and transaxle is for weight balance, it helps this Coyote to not only sit lower but also further back than your stock 5.0. In fact, the engine is so far back in the GT3 that the front of the engineis behind the centerline of the front axle.
Keeping This Pony In Check
Remove the wheels and body panels, and the Mustang GT3's biggest changes start to reveal themselves. Starting with the front axle, the stock Mustang's MacPherson strut and virtual ball joint lower control arm are replaced by a double wishbone suspension that affords more adjustability. Stuff like camber, caster, bumpsteer, toe, and so much more can dialed in using slugs and spacers to move the spindle in relation to where the arms and steering rods connect to it. This also applies to the rear of the Mustang GT3 as it, too, trades the stock (multilink) setup for a double wishbone rear suspension.
These changes also allow all four corners to use a coilover setup based on the Multimatic DSSV. While they are adjustable in the sense that the stock Mustang's available Magnaride adaptive system is adjustable, FIA GT3 rules don't allow for electronic adjustments nor can adjustments allowed to be made by the driver. This includes the sway bars, too. You'll see five valves that Multimatic mechanics can adjust to change fast-speed bump and rebound (the bumps a driver will encounter on the racing surface, especially street circuits), slow-speed bump and rebound (the movements that the car will make like pitching during acceleration/deceleration and rolling through a corner) and blow-off (the super-high-speed changes you'll get from running over things like the FIA curbs). The car is also height adjustable using a threaded collar acting as an upper spring perch, but there is a minimum height mandated by the Balance of Performance tables according to IMSA.
For some additional similarities, the GT3 and stock S650 Mustangs both use subframes front and rear. Multimatic adds far more steel tubing for enhanced structural rigidity over the stamped steel and cast aluminum than your factory 'stang uses. These subframes are also retained using clevis pins that allow for quick removal during a race. According to an interview with Professional Motorsport World, Multimatic's Larry Holt expressed issues with studs pulling out from the central chassis of the Ford GT and made this change since that program.
The Brakes and The Shoes
What you'll also notice is that the Mustang GT3 uses an Alcon six-piston brake caliper rather than the six-piston Brembos you'll find on the Mustang Dark Horse. Just like the Dark Horse, there are steel rotors but the "hats"—the part the rotor attaches to by bolt or by mold—are aluminum. Yes, even at Daytona the Mustang GT3 relies on cast-steel and doesn't use drilled rotors. They are slotted for debris and gas evacuation and to maximize the surface area for both pad contact and keeping the rotor temperatures in check.
That said, most, if not all teams will change a set of pads and rotors during a 24-hour race and—something mechanics all around possibly wish for—the calipers are removed during this process thanks to using a dry-break hydraulic line. This doesn't eliminate the need to bleed bubbles out of the system, but it sure does reduce the mess. Like your road-going Mustang, the GT3 uses an ABS system, but this is a Bosch Motorsports unit that can be fine tuned to the preference of the driver and is still fully capable of locking a wheel if set to its lowest settings.
You'll also see that the Mustang GT3 wears an 18-inch center-lock wheel made by American Racing. This also requires the use of six drive pins, which mount inside the hub of the wheel and move the hub of the fronts and allows the rear hubs to drive the wheel. When changing, rather than relying on a single jack like NASCAR does, this Mustang uses a set of air jacks to lift the tires off the ground for quick pit service and when it needs to be off the ground, including in the garage, but jack stands are still used to keep the mechanics safe while working under it.
The GTD Isn't The Homologation Car
You're probably wondering why we keep mentioning the Mustang Dark Horse more than the Mustang GTD. That's because the Mustang GT3 is homologated by way of the Dark Horse. The development from the GT3 is then applied to the GTD and then one-upped using more technology than is allowed in the FIA and IMSA. Things like an adjustable suspension that uses a hydraulic sleeve between the dual springs to not only lower the car but also change the spring rate, active aero dynamics both front and rear, and the supercharged V-8. We couldn't get many more details on the GTD, as it's still being finalized but should be showing up sometime soon, according to Ford.
We did get a chance to speak to Joey Hand, who not only drives the number 65 Mustang GT3 but is also one of the professional drivers helping influence the performance of the ultimate Ford Mustang. "The biggest thing about the GTD are the adaptive dampers," said Hand, "and that's what I notice the most. In the race car, we're set up to drive on the most important parts of the track the best and deal with the rest. With the adaptive dampers, it changes the way it drives through every part of the track." Hand also points out that not only will you have more power than the Mustang GT3, but you might have more braking power on the GTD. He also noted the obvious difference in downforce versus the racecar but overall, "it is everything the engineers couldn't do with the Mustang GT3. With GT3, there is a box the car must fit. With the GTD, there is no box and that, I think, is the cool part about it."
Have Fans Reacted Well To The Mustang GT3?
If there is a common thread we see when talking about other Mustang race cars in the U.S.—read: NASCAR—it's this: it needs to be the same car you can get from the factory. The 2024 Ford Mustang GT3 is the closest you can get at a high-level form of motorsports, and we had to ask ourselves while at the 24 Hours of Daytona if it really seemed to matter. If the gridwalk was anything to judge, it seems that way. We've been to other road racing and endurance events in the U.S., and witnessed by far the most attendees we'd ever seen for IMSA and even the Daytona 24 Hours.
When we asked Joey Hand what he thought and heard from fans while interacting with them, he agreed, to an extent. "It's manufacturer involvement, one hundred percent," said Hand, "since the world of motorsport has gone GT3 spec, this allowed everyone to jump in." However, it's not just that it's production-based cars, it's about the car count. "You know as a manufacturer, as a driver, and as a team you don't want to come out here and win against just three cars. You want competition. If I say I win a race, one thing that people ask is 'how many others were in it?' I'd rather say '37' and not three or four."
During our media tour, Ford mentioned that it saw more fans wearing Ford branded gear than in years past, as well. This is including the years it ran in IMSA and the World Endurance Challenge using the GT with Multimatic and Hand. The Mustang GT3 seems to resonate more with the people watching and that is something all the motorsport world needs right now.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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