It's no secret the next-generation Ford Mustang, codenamed the S650, is undergoing testing this very moment. Assuming all goes to plan, it'll launch for the 2024 model year. It won't be fully electrified but a hybrid V8 is highly likely. Until then, Ford is keeping the seventh-generation pony car's details top secret but we may have just received the first official teaser. Kind of.
Ford Performance has released a single teaser image of the Mustang GT3, a factory-backed race car that will enter competition for the 2024 racing season with IMSA - the same year the new road car will arrive. If one were to lift the sheets of this teaser, then chances are you'll be looking at the new Mustang in motorsport form.
"Mustang was born to race from the start and we're thrilled to introduce the GT3 version to compete head-to-head against some of the greatest manufacturers in the world," said Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook. "With 58 years of global endurance racing heritage, including NASCAR and Australian Supercars today, we are ready to take Mustang to the next level of global performance."
Ford Performance joined forces with Multimatic Motorsports, its long-time collaborator, for two IMSA GTD Pro teams along with a customer Mustangs for the GTD class at Daytona, also beginning in 2024. Twenty of these customer cars will be built for homologation requirements.
The Blue Oval has confirmed the new Mustang GT3 will come powered by something very familiar: the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8. It'll be built by UK-based M-Sport, a world championship-winning team. The new Mustang GT3 race car will feature a number of bespoke features, among them a front and rear short-long arm suspension, rear-mounted transaxle gearbox, carbon fiber body panels, and a special aero package designed specifically for GT3 racing needs.
If this isn't already enough, then get ready for the sixth-gen-based Mustang GT4 (pictured below). Yes, Ford and Multimatic have already confirmed the race car program's existence ahead of its debut in the 2023 season.