7 new things Mustang enthusiasts can look forward to

What’s a birthday party without some surprises? That was the thinking Ford had for its Mustang 60 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Here’s a quick rundown of what was revealed.

Ford bills this as this as “street-legal, track-ready supercar power with Mustang soul.” Those interested in owning one can now put in an application. The estimated retail price is $300,000. To apply, visit themustanggtd.com.

Where better to experience all things Mustang than at a track that hosts Foxtoberfest and the Ford Performance Racing School? Whether you wish to track a Mustang, buy some merchandise, get some aftermarket parts or take in history of the iconic car, Charlotte should be a destination. (As an aside, with a new 1.7-mile road course opening this quarter, that might give you another reason, too, to visit Charlotte Motor Speedway.)

Speaking of track time, the Ford Performance Racing School recently announced the Mustang Unleashed program. It’s based on the Dark Horse Track Attack program, and will teach owners of Mustang EcoBoost and GT cars how to get the most out of their vehicles.

You can’t celebrate a significant birthday without special edition, right? The Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary package is only available for the 5.0 GT Premium, coupe or convertible, manual or automatic. It features special badging that pays homage to the 1965 Mustang, plus a unique grille and edition-specific 20-inch wheels. Ford will only make 1965 examples with this package. It will be available to order this summer and will hit dealerships during the fourth quarter. Pricing to be announced.

Want to give your new Mustang an old-school flair? Well, you can now download a new analog-appearing gauge cluster that resembles the one found in the first-gen Mustang.

The factory IMSA GTD Pro Mustang GT3s of Ford Multimatic Motorsports will campaign this livery at Laguna Seca and Detroit. The design features splashes of several iconic Mustangs from the past. Can you name some of those homages? (No cheating.)

But, wait, there’s another Mustang coming for 2025. This is all they revealed. Stay tuned.

Comments

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
4/18/24 11:35 a.m.

For those looking for hints on the livery, here are two:

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
4/18/24 11:36 a.m.

DirtyBird222 PowerDork
4/18/24 1:33 p.m.

Yea I don't see the All Sport or Motorcraft in that new livery at all.

Also was that render of the Mustang Experience Center done on a Playstation 2 modeling system?

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
4/18/24 1:53 p.m.

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

PS3

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
4/18/24 2:19 p.m.

Here's another view of the GT3 car.

You can see the 1985 Roush Mustang on the hood. There's definitely some creative liberty taken with those splashes.

DirtyBird222 PowerDork
4/18/24 2:29 p.m.

That's not too obvious from the side profile shot posted LOL.

I see the Parnelli Jones Boss 302 Trans Am on the driver fender.

There's the classic blue stripes on the front bumper from the GT350/same with the stripe on the bottom rear edge of the door.

Grabber Blue Boss 302 Mustange on the driver rear quarter panel.

I'm guessing some of the red could be the whistler mustang too.

Not seeing homage from the mustang gtp cars of the 80s though

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
4/18/24 2:57 p.m.

This might explain the Tommy Kendall Trans Am car homage a bit.

DirtyBird222 PowerDork
4/18/24 3:18 p.m.

J.A. Ackley said:

This might explain the Tommy Kendall Trans Am car homage a bit.

what about the rear and front passenger quarter panel?

Also I know Mike Judge was throwing shade at Gatorade but, the All Sport "Body Quencher" slogan has way too many parallels to "Thirst Mutalator"

DirtyBird222 PowerDork
4/18/24 3:21 p.m.

Also, I wish the Gen 3 Raptor had customizable gauges like the Mustang. That way I could at least look at something pretty whilst broken down.

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
4/18/24 3:32 p.m.

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

Okay, here's the info on the cars this livery pays homage to, per Ford:

1964 Tour de France Mustangs: Just five months post-debut, Mustangs prepared by Alan Mann Racing ended Jaguar’s five-year winning streak in touring-class races by clinching first and second places in the grueling Tour de France – a 10-day, 3,500-mile series of races and hill climbs. Out of 56 starters, the two Mustangs were among the 19 finishers, securing nine trophies at prestigious European circuits including Le Mans and Monza, driven by Peter Proctor and Andrew Cowan.

1965 SCCA B Production Mustang GT350: In 1964, as part of its Total Performance campaign, Ford turned to Shelby American to help homologate the Mustang for SCCA series racing. The resulting GT350, with its numerous enhancements, dominated the 1965 SCCA B-Production championship under Jerry Titus, winning three consecutive championships.

1966 Shelby American Mustang: The inaugural SCCA Trans-Am Series season in 1966 saw Tom Yeager and Bob Johnson secure Mustang's first Trans-Am victory at the Mid-America 300. Mustang won four of the seven races that season, securing the championship.

1970 Mustang Boss 302: The 1970 season saw the Bud Moore team, with drivers Parnelli Jones and George Follmer, dominate the SCCA Trans-Am Series, winning six races and securing both the manufacturer’s and driver’s championships with the Boss 302 Mustang.

1981 IMSA GTX Mustang: In 1981, Ford Motor Company's racing program saw a resurgence in sports car racing with the debut of the Zakspeed No. 6 turbocharged Miller Mustang, driven by Klaus Ludwig. Despite narrowly missing a win by a tenth of a second in its first race, the Mustang achieved breakthrough victories at Brainerd International Speedway and again at Sears Point in the GTX class, marking the launch of Ford’s renewed effort in sports car racing.

1985 Roush IMSA Mustang: The Roush Mustang GTO ended the 1984 IMSA season on a high note with a victory at Daytona by Willie T. Ribbs and Wally Dallenbach Jr., setting the stage for 1985. That year, the Mustang claimed nine IMSA race wins. John Jones won the driver’s championship, while Lynn St. James secured three victories, becoming the first woman to win in the series and contributing to Ford's manufacturer’s championship win.

1987 Roush IMSA Mustang: During the 1987 Daytona 24-hour race, the No. 11 Roush Mustang, driven by Tom Gloy, Bill Elliott, Lynn St. James, and Scott Pruett, clinched first place in the GTO class.

1997 Mustang Cobra Trans-Am: The 1997 SCCA Trans-Am season witnessed a dominant performance by Ford Mustang. Tommy Kendall, driving the Roush All-Sport Mustang Cobra, notched 11 consecutive victories, while Mike Borkowski won the final two races of the season. Kendall secured the driver’s championship for the third consecutive year.