Ford Mustang GTD Images Leaked Ahead Of Official Reveal
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Just yesterday, GM Authority (alongside our sister publication, Ford Authority) was the first to report that the Blue Oval brand would debut a new variant of the Ford Mustang in Monterey this week. Now, it looks like images of the forthcoming Ford Mustang variant have leaked onto the Web, shedding new light on what’s headed down the pipe. Per the new images, the variant will be dubbed the Ford Mustang GTD.
The leaked images appear as though they were captured at a special reveal event in Las Vegas, which took place this past Monday for only a select group of individuals. The images provide several important clues as to what the Ford Mustang GTD will offer, and even contradict some of the details provided by our sources in yesterday’s report.
First and foremost, the Ford Mustang GTD is obviously based on the S650 platform. What’s more, the layout appears to be front-mid-engined, as opposed to rear-mid-engined, as is the case for the C8 Corvette. Further details revealed in this leak include a swath of carbon fiber bits and hyper-aggressive aero, including large vents on the fenders, a prominent front splitter, and a massive rear wing attached to the rearmost pillars and hanging high above the trunk. The rear wing appears to be made from carbon fiber and looks to be unique to the new Ford Mustang GTD.
Further details include Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which wrap a set of previously unseen wheels with a unique Y-spoke design. Under the running gear, we see a set of massive brakes with a red finish for the calipers.
For now, the Ford Mustang GTD is still expected to be assembled in partnership with Multimatic. The Canadian-based auto supplier has close ties to Ford, with the partnership resulting in performance models like the Ford GT supercar, Ford Bronco DR, and Ford Mustang GT3 and GT4.
Expect further information on the new Ford Mustang GTD when it officially debuts tomorrow.
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What is a front mid-engine?
That would be an engine in front of the passenger compartment but behind the front wheel axle
Or ahead of the rear axle.
So a mid engine is mounted between the front and rear axles.
The engine is in front of the driver but behind the front axle. Whereas a normal front engine vehicle would have the engine over the front axle. Corvette was Front-mid for most of it’s history.
Edit: oops I got beat to the answer
Means the engines in the front. But behind the front wheels.
Mid engine means the motor mounts between the front and rear axles. The mid engine layout can have the motor either in front of or behind the driver. The Mercedes AMG GT is a front mid engine. The really long nose is so the engine sits entirely behind the front axle but still in front of the driver.
Rear mid engine, the opposite. The driver is in front of the engine but the engine is in front of the rear axle.
With regular front engine, the motor is mounted on top of the the front axle. My mustang it is obvious because the strut tower brace goes right over the middle of the motor. On a front mid engine, the strut brace would be in front of the motor but both still under the hood.
There are also rear mounted engines (not mid engine rear) like a lot of Porsches where the motor sits on the rear axle instead of in between the axles. There are 3 main categories for rear drive vehicles, FR, MR, and RR. (Front motor, Rear drive etc.) Normal mustangs would fall in the FR category. This new mustang would fall in the MR category assuming the motor is indeed behind the front axle, and Porsche 911 would be an RR. Hope that helps.
Think dodge viper or Mercedes gt-r
it’s a similar set up as the AMG GT3 in GTD…which has been a very successful formula
It looks awful. Honestly it looks like they went to Pep
boys and slapped some $hit on it they bought there. I would take the regular Mustang over this looks wise any day of the week.
Front mid is like a C7.
Rear mid is a C8
The rear mid holds a better advantage as the weight is more centered in the car and the driver and the rest of the car has a lower center of gravity.
The idea is not just 50/50 balance but yo put the most mass centered too. This helps the car rotate better in the corner.
Yet, many race teams complained about the new mid engines turning dynamics. with more weight in the rear. For a sport/track car ideal is 45/55, so when in the corners, the friction on the wheels alows the weight going forward to make a near perfect 50-50 ratio.
The new Vettes mid engine layout is mostly marketing as the 40/60 weight ratio allows for quicker 0-60 times and a cool “European” look. The new Vette’s advantage over the C7 is largly due to its Lamborghini width and hoosier wide rear rubbers. The C7 showed consistently that a fromt mod engine has superior handling over other layouts with similar tech, dimensions and tire sizes.
Chevy should answer this with a new Z28. Drop the LT6 in a widebody camaro and call it a day.
Actually there are more variables involved.
The target is 50/50 in the center of the car. Now there are variables like how far the engine is back from the center. what size wheels and tires are you using . Teams will use narrower tires up front for more feel as they can add more camber but that adds more wear.
Much is a compromise.
One must remember the Corvette is a street car first and then a race car second. Also rules call for some things too that will compromise performance but enhance safety.
One area front engine is always at a disadvantage is the weight up high. They have to place the driver behind the engine and that puts weight higher up.
The trouble for the C8 was this. It was designed for the GTLM class with weight placed in various places. It also had tires that were designed for the car. The same rules applied to the C7.
After one year they changed the rules and GM had to run a car in a class that they could not put the weight where it was designed and they had to run a smaller spec compound tire the car was not designed to use.
The new GT3 Cars are not the same cars as they were designed for the class and will perform much better as they were built from the ground up as a GT3 spec.
Too many people really just don’t understand while these cars may have some stock parts they are a totally new engineered package designed to the limits of the rules.
While we will see some new car issues this year you will see the Corvette package will do very well once they learn the new car. The old GTLM car did well in Europe as the rules never changed.
For what it is worth the Front Engine C cars all uses very large rubber in the rear. Also the tires are Pilots not Hoosier.
You keep saying this but this is not accurate. If you believe it is cite the source.
It means its like the camaro. The GM alpha platform with the transmission in the back integrated with the rear differential allows the engine to move back over a foot from between the the front wheels to way behind in the “middle” of the car. This has many performance advantages including better stability and cornering over even the new C8 vette. Many race teams bemoaned the new Vettes loss of balance and turning stability from putting the engine in the back. The C8 does make up for it with a wider stance to handle more G’s however, as well as wider wheels.
This does mean that its still the same platform, so it should still be able to be made on the same assembly line???? Maybe multimatic is only maki g the rear diff/tranny combo so they dont have near as much to produce?
The Camaro doesn’t have the transmission in “the back”, the C5-7 Corvette had that, but as far as I recall, its the only GM car that did.
I’m thinking a front mid engine layout would put the engine in front of the rear axles instead of behind the rear axle
So the “Ford Mustang GTD” got a mid-engine. Well it is a “front mid-engine” as already installed in the Corvette C4, so behind the front axle!!!
If Ford has installed the gearbox on the rear axle of this Mustang GTD or Mustang GT3, that’s nothing new because in the Corvette C5, C6 and C7, the gearbox was also installed in front of the rear axle and the V8 engine behind the front axle.
What does Ford want to say now over 30 years later and why was the “Mustang GTD” presented in Las Vegas at Shelby America?
I can imagine that FORD Performance wants to build a small series with/at Shelby America to avoid the “faint aftertaste” of a Mustang GT3 prototype racing car.
As you know, the BMW M4 GT3 is a prototype because there has never been a BMW with a transaxle drive. So much for the series basis of GT3 racing cars …
Appearance is subjective, but from the side, it looks like a Datsun 240Z. Meh…
BTW, with all of the carbon fiber, etc., this will not be cheap.
Fake, i am doing the launch for the mustang at flatrock assembly plant. So far there is base and darkhorse
Next model is out a year and not gt350/500 level yet.that is still to come. But images shown here are fake
Well lets hope so because this couldn’t be it at all.
Looks like a half built racecar. That’s not a compliment.
From all reports, the DOHC Coyote Ford V8 is already a beast to work on. Wondering how much more difficult it will be to access it by moving it further to the rear ?
Looks like someone got hold of a JC Whitney catalog and went nuts.
Mid-engine is ahead of the rear axle and behind the passenger compartment. This puts the mass of the motor as close to the driving wheels as possible allowing the vehicle to change direction quickly. The front “mid engine” still drives the rear wheels from ahead of the passenger compartment so the engine mass continues to be up front and acting as a pendulum when the vehicle is looking to change direction. F1 and most exotics are mid engine.
What a letdown. A front mid-engine with lots of scoops and vents. So did they push the engine back a few inches and called it a day on the current car?
Ford always finds ways to do things on the cheap.
Well, putting the 250lbs tranny in the back does way more than moving the engine 3” for weight distribution.
When we heard mid-engine I don’t think anyone expected to see the front- mid (like the Ferrari California and a few others from the past). Surprise. This was one seriously good kept secret. Added to the GT3 and GT4 reveals, Ford has impressed. Good for them. As I unloaded my S195 Mustang a few years back (great car, on and off the track) and am now loving my mid-engine C8, I’m again in the quandry of supporting race teams of rivals who both make some outstanding cars, although this has yet to be seen from the blue oval crew. It’s a great time to be a US car/race fan!
That looks hideous.
To compete with the Corvette we moved the existing motor back 12 cms and added the usual carbon fiber crap same old tired Mustang but Ford maniacs will still buy it
The clown who claimed Ford saw this as a Supercar was delusional. Probably thought a Z24 Cavalier was a supercar because it had a side rocker with decals. This is a ridiculous hype over not much new.
looks like a civic
Looks like somebody left the trunk lid open.
“Mid-engine”… just like the “4-Door Coupe”.