{"id":32888,"date":"2024-06-24T09:35:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32888"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:44:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:44:46","slug":"mustang-at-le-mans-americas-pony-wants-to-conquer-europele-mans-france-at-the-drop-of-the-green-flag-saturday-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-the-77-ford-mustang-race-car-surged-past-the-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/mustang-at-le-mans-americas-pony-wants-to-conquer-europele-mans-france-at-the-drop-of-the-green-flag-saturday-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-the-77-ford-mustang-race-car-surged-past-the-6","title":{"rendered":"Mustang at Le Mans: America’s pony wants to conquer Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0At the drop of the green flag Saturday at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #77 Ford Mustang race car surged past the #66 Ferrari 296 and #92 Porsche 911 to challenge the #70 McLaren 720S for the GT3 class lead.<\/p>\n

Come again?<\/p>\n

Ford has opened a new chapter in its iconic Mustang\u2019s history as the affordable sportscar did battle against the world\u2019s elite supercars at this year\u2019s premier international endurance race \u2014 and on the road. As the Mustang GT3 finished an impressive 3rd and 4th in its Le Mans debut before the 8.5-mile circuit\u2019s packed grandstands, fans also got to ogle the street legal, 800-plus-horsepower Mustang GTD that is taking aim at the Europe\u2019s supercars. From the $40,000 Ecoboost convertible to the (estimated) $300,000 GTD, that\u2019s a lot of bandwidth for the world\u2019s best-selling sportscar.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Ford Mustang GT3 on track during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The automaker is producing a street-legal version, the 2025 Mustang GTD. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News<\/em><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is part of our transition of Mustang from an American muscle car to a global sportscar,\u201d said Will Ford, Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr.\u2019s son and the general manager of the Ford Performance division responsible for Ford\u2019s racing programs. \u201cWe are competing against the world\u2019s best supercars while keeping Mustang true to its roots as an affordable sportscar.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a new generation of Ford family comes a new generation of Ford Mustang. The seventh-gen model is now sold in 144 countries around the world, including continents like Europe where Mustang\u2019s distinctive, V8-powered performance \u2014 and corresponding high cost \u2014 is considered a premium alternative to Continent favorites like Porsche and BMW. Due to high European auto taxes and emissions fees on V-8s, a Mustang GT can cost anywhere from about $70,000 in England to over $120,000 in France.<\/p>\n

\"AndersAnders Nannerup lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and owns four Mustangs, including this 2022 Mach 1. He traveled to France for the 24 Hour of Le Mans. Courtesy Of Anders Nannerup, Anders Nannerup<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cIf you are buying a Mustang in Europe, then it\u2019s got to be a V-8,\u201d said Anders Nannerup, 57, who owns a 2022 Mustang Mach 1 and drove 16 hours from Copenhagen, Denmark to attend Le Mans this year. \u201cBut if you buy in Demark you can expect double the price as in America due to import taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

What has not changed across Ford\u2019s generations is the passion to race. Founder Henry Ford competed in the Grosse Pointe Sweepstakes race to raise money from investors, Henry \u201cThe Deuce\u201d Ford II took on Ferrari in the 1966 Le Mans and won in the Italian stallion\u2019s backyard (inspiring the Oscar-winning, Hollywood hit, Ford v Ferrari), and Ford returned to the Circuit de le Sarthe in 2016 to win again in class on the 50th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary.<\/p>\n

Now a new generation of father and son are teeing up their pony cars. It\u2019s Mustang vs. Everybody.<\/p>\n