{"id":31040,"date":"2023-06-09T16:26:51","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T20:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=31040"},"modified":"2023-06-09T16:28:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T20:28:09","slug":"unveiled-mustang-gt3-will-race-for-2024-le-mans-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/unveiled-mustang-gt3-will-race-for-2024-le-mans-glory","title":{"rendered":"Unveiled: Mustang GT3 will race for 2024 Le Mans glory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Corvette, Cadillac, Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Toyota GR. The world\u2019s top performance brands have converged on France this weekend to compete for auto racing\u2019s premier endurance title, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Next year a pony will join them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ford unveiled the Mustang GT3 race car Friday for the 2024 race season ahead of the 100th running of Le Mans. Following in the footsteps of Ford\u2019s legendary 1966 GT40 and 2016 GT racers, the GT3 will compete against the world\u2019s top production-based sports-cars at Le Mans next year as well as in other global series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The GT3 represents a triumph of Ford\u2019s product strategy as the Mustang \u2014 a key pillar of the Blue Oval\u2019s icon brand strategy along with the F-150 truck and Bronco SUV \u2014 has weathered government emissions regulations that have contributed to the demise of muscle car competitors Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger. The seventh-generation, 2024 Mustang is due to hit showrooms this fall.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-2\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cFord and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we\u2019re coming back to the most important race in the world,\u201d said Ford CEO Jim Farley, a skilled race driver himself. \u201cIt is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone. Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/0c0db898-08af-46bc-8076-a4634e18c297-MustangGT3_rr-at-speed.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/0c0db898-08af-46bc-8076-a4634e18c297-MustangGT3_rr-at-speed.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/0c0db898-08af-46bc-8076-a4634e18c297-MustangGT3_rr-at-speed.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=882&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car\" data-c-credit=\"Wes Duenkel, Ford\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ford is partnering with race chassis manufacturer Multimatic to produce its race car. Multimatic built the Ford GT that won the Le Mans GT class in 2016 on its first try. The Toronto-based race shop also builds the Porsche 963 prototype race car that Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske has entered this weekend as Chairman Roger Penske tries to add Le Mans to his trophy case filled with 19 Indy 500 wins.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-3\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee is also a Ford partner, designing the livery for the GT3 debut. Inspired by the new Dark Horse performance model that will debut on the seventh-generation muscle car alongside the traditional Ecoboost and GT models, the Mustang GT3 will carry a ferocious V-8 under the hood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">V-8s have been under attack by global emissions regulators, but eight-holers are dominant at Le Mans, powering everything from the Mustang to Penske\u2019s Porsche to the Corvette that took GT-class pole for Saturday\u2019s race start. M-Sport will assemble the race car\u2019s 5.4-liter, so-called Coyote V-8.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp gnt_em_vp__yt\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"youtube\" aria-label=\"YouTube video\" aria-live=\"polite\"><a class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__yt_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-vlxjarX0J8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" data-c-vpattrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;-vlxjarX0J8&quot;, &quot;id&quot;:&quot;70305098007&quot;}\" aria-label=\"Play YouTube video\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-vlxjarX0J8\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cFor a project like the Mustang GT3, we turned to our most trusted partners in the motorsports world to help bring this vehicle together,\u201d said Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The race car bears the signature long hood and fastback of the production car, but is otherwise radically upgraded for the demands of high-speed, high-downforce endurance racing. The carbon-fiber-skinned race car has grown a big wing and diffuser out back, while the front fenders ripple with air vents for aerodynamic downforce. The menacing front end looks like something out of \u201cMad Max: Fury Road.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/a506e657-55ea-4996-907c-ce337c86a45b-MustangGT3_LeMans_fender.jpg?width=660&amp;height=440&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car. Le Mans, France\n<\/div>\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/a506e657-55ea-4996-907c-ce337c86a45b-MustangGT3_LeMans_fender.jpg?width=660&amp;height=440&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/06\/09\/PDTN\/a506e657-55ea-4996-907c-ce337c86a45b-MustangGT3_LeMans_fender.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car. Le Mans, France\n\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"2024 Ford Mustang GT3 race car. Le Mans, France\n\" data-c-credit=\"Drew Gibson, Ford\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Mustang GT3 represents Ford\u2019s ambitious goal to sell race cars to customers across the world as Porsche has done for years \u2014 promising income to a Ford Performance unit that traditionally has been essential to engineering and marketing, not a profit center. The same goes for Chevrolet, which introduced its own, remade Corvette GT3 car at the 24 Hours of Daytona earlier this year with global sales in mind.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">COVID-19 Update<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Updates on how the coronavirus is affecting your community and the nation<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Varies<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\"><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Mustang GT3\u2019s first customer is Germany-based Proton Competition, which will campaign a pair of ponies in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. Stateside, Ford Performance will field a two-car factory team in IMSA\u2019s 2024 GTD Pro class.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Corvette, Cadillac, Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Toyota GR. The world\u2019s top performance brands have converged on France this weekend to compete for auto racing\u2019s premier endurance title, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Next year a pony will join them. Ford unveiled the Mustang GT3 race car Friday for the 2024 race season ahead of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31040"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31041,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31040\/revisions\/31041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}