Posted on 08/18/2023 6:28:20 AM PDT by Red Badger
You may have seen rumors on Facebook and elsewhere about a mid-engine Mustang. Sounds somewhat preposterous, no? What business does Ford have building a Mustang — a secretary’s car, mind you — that competes with the C8 Corvette? Except with the Mustang GTD, its sights are higher.
Suspend any thoughts Ford is bringing you a modern-day Pantera with a prancing horse stuck on the front. As a proper pony car, Ford is introducing the Mustang GTD as something more than just a step up from the Dark Horse — it’s a Mustang reinvented. First shown to a small group in Las Vegas this past Monday (including our cohorts across the street at Barrett-Jackson), the Mustang GTD will be a flagship, a supercar wrapped in a carbon fiber Mustang body to take on the Europeans at Le Mans in 2024.
GTD will be built in partnership with Multimatic, the same partnership that led to (among other vehicles) the Ford GT. In fact, Multimatic was working on the GTD race car when Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, proclaimed, “We need a street version of that.”
So, what are some of the major features of this track monster?
800-plus horsepower with dry sump system
Rear transaxle
Inboard, active suspension
Magnesium wheels
Carbon ceramic brakes
Titanium exhaust system
Carbon fiber all over, including the giant wing
The Mustang GTD is all about power, braking, and balance. It’s a well-rounded machine that’s strong in all areas.
So, yes, the rumor about a mid-engine Mustang was true. No, it’s not going to have its engine relocated to the rear; rather, the engine will stay up front but behind the front axle. Yes, you will be able to buy a copy of this homologation special. No, we don’t know the cost to you, nor do we know anything else about the engine.
But, if you’re a Mustang fan and have always dreamed of a road-going Mustang race car, then the Mustang GTD is your ticket.
Titanium exhaust system ?
I guess that could be for a battery fire ;-)
Good for sneaking up, I suppose.................
Slightly outside of my price range.........................🤔
People will steal the exhaust pipes for the metal..................
That’s a PD chief staying on the good side of a woke city council.
I will say the hybrid Ford Explorers seemed to be a decent police vehicle. Hybrids aren’t a bad idea, and are good in the stop and go traffic which many departments see.
Powerplant is a 5.2 liter supercharged V8, 700hp.
Maybe some generous Freepers could help me out. Price is quoted as $300,000. I’m close to having the cash, only need another $299,000 (if I had some bread I could make a ham sandwich, if I had some ham).
I’m imagining what the auto industry would have been like in the ‘60’s if they’d paid the $100K! The Mustang was the perfect name for the car, and it was an incredible package/value at the time.
More lies.
A "mid-engine" car does not have the engine "up front".
Like the Pantera, the GT40, the new Corvette, Indy and F1 cars...the engine is bolted to the rear mounted trans-axle, and located right behind the driver.
The “small, sleek, electric minivans” are not Mustangs at all, but a gelding with no viable purpose, a perversion trying to trade off an established marque.
Maybe sixty years ago, the Mustang was a “secretary’s car”, but they quickly turned into muscle cars in only a few years, with some surprising variations that made them a most singular line of vehicles that Ford ever produced.
Years ago, the Pontiac division of GM produced an interesting little car, the Fiero. It was thought to be a failure in its time, and production only ran for about four or five years, but it still seemed like a good candidate for some fine points of engineering to be applied, it would have been rather like a Porsche, and in fact, one model was almost identical to a Ferrari, in looks, if not in performance.
$100k in 1964 equals $989,291.26 in today’s dollars..........
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=100000&year1=196401&year2=202307
Reminds me of the Bulge-Buggy from the National Lampoon back in the ‘70s.
Gotta love ‘inflation’...
No, that’s the Chrysler LeBalloon.
The Mach-E did pass the Michigan State Police pursuit testing.
MSP Vehicle Year 2022 full report:
Back in the 70’s, Dan Akroyd of SNL doing his Jimmy Carter impersonation was mocking Carter’s handling of inflation by saying “I know everybody wants to have a $100k car, right?’
Well, today we have them..........................
Indeed. And pickups, too! (!!!)
800 HP would indicate an ICE
Most such designs are European (Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc.)
The Fiero Mera.
I saw a cabriolet version of a late-model Fiero the other day, and I was struck by how much the side-on sightlines were classic early-70s MGB. In fact that's what I thought it was at first but recognized the Fiero red, not the tomato red of the MGB.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.