Key Takeaways
- The Mustang GTD commands a supercar price tag and showcases visible race-proven rear suspension with intricate blue and gold accents displayed through an in-cabin window.
- Ford aims for ambitious performance, eyeing a sub-7-minute Nurburgring lap alongside elite supercars like the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.
- Multimatic’s Adaptive Spool Valve dampers react six times quicker than the human eye can blink, optimizing the GTD’s handling and performance on the road and track.
The Ford Mustang GTD might be a muscle car by name, but the more technical details Ford reveals, the more we feel it might be worthy of the label of supercar. The latest details to come from Detroit – following last week’s news that the GTD had arrived in Europe and begun its assault on the Nurburgring – pertain to the suspension of the GTD, which is so advanced it looks like it would be at home on a Pagani.
With an asking price of $300,000 – and more than 7,500 applications fielded by Ford – the Mustang GTD commands supercar money, and with that comes a certain expectation of quality and beautiful craftsmanship. Built in partnership with Multimatic, whose experience includes the development of the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG One, race-proven technology is fused with artistry. This is most evident by the pushrod rear suspension of the GTD, whose incredible intricacy can be admired by occupants and onlookers through a suspension window.
Putting Racecar-Level Engineering On Display
“The rear suspension is designed for purpose, but it’s also just a beautiful thing to look at,” said Jim Owens, Mustang GTD marketing manager. “It would have been a shame for us to hide it away never to be seen. With the suspension window, owners can admire the blue and gold accents on the dampers without removing the tech panel, and the passenger can literally watch the suspension in action.”
The suspension window is made of a 24×10-inch scratch-resistant polycarbonate panel, which serves no other purpose than to look cool.
“With a car as capable as Mustang GTD, we had to do something that’s just plain cool and owners will appreciate.”
– Jim Owens, Mustang GTD Marketing Manager
Real Motorsport Technology Made Road Legal
The Mustang GTD has ambitious targets, like a sub-7-minute lap time around the Nurburgring Nordschleife. That’s a feat that has only ever been achieved by 19 road-legal cars and would put the circa-800-horsepower muscle car in the same league as the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Porsche 918 Spyder, and Lamborghini Aventador SuperVeloce. But in order to achieve this, Ford had to leverage Multimatic’s experience building top-flight race cars, like the Mustang GT3 and Ford GT.
Suspension That Changes Quicker Than The Human Eye Can Blink
Central to this is the inboard rear suspension, which sees the dampers positioned where the trunk would usually be, canted outwards to the wheels and built into a motorsport-style tubular rear subframe. The dampers themselves are Multimatic’s proprietary Adaptive Spool Valve dampers, which can shift between their softest and firmest settings in just 15 milliseconds (a human blinking takes 100 milliseconds), pinning the bespoke Michelin tires to the tarmac for maximum performance.
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Each of these dampers is paired with not one but two springs for maximum control. The suspension is a semi-active setup with the default setting proving ample usability on the road. But when track mode is engaged, one of these springs is compressed hydraulically, lowering the ride height by 40 mm (1.6 inches) and nearly doubling the stiffness of the suspension. The benefit isn’t just the ability to resist body roll, but to support the car under the immense aerodynamic load of its race-derived aero system, including the DRS-enabled rear wing.
“Adaptive damping allows more flexibility in absolute ride performance compared to a passive damper,” explains Scott Keefer, vice president of Multimatic engineering, “It lets you decouple the ride versus handling compromise that you would normally make in damper tuning. Our system is a double win in that adjustments feel very analog, very natural in terms of motion control.”
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Additionally, the Mustang GTD will see a plethora of motorsport technology reach the road, like its carbon-fiber bodywork, magnesium wheels, and its bespoke rear transaxle, which also aids in perfecting the weight balance of the front-engined car – imperative when the motor up front is a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 targeting upwards of 800 hp.
Gearing Up For Its Biggest Challenge Yet
In the run-up to its sub-7-minute Nurburgring attempt, the Mustang GTD will continue its European tour with appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In between all of this, it will continue testing at the Green Hell, where our spies have already caught the GTD pushing hard to achieve its ultimate goal.