Zac Quinn 
The epic Ford Mustang Dark Horse GT3 is a beautiful creation made in collaboration between Ford Performance and longtime partners Multimatic and M-Sport. With carbon fiber body panels, short-long arm suspension, a rear-mounted transaxle gearbox, an FIA-GT3 homologated aero kit, and a 5.4L Coyote-based V8 engine, it’s no wonder this thing debuted at the centennial running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, then later stole the show at the Goodwood Festival. But few know that the Ford Mustang GT3 race car begins its journey as a street-legal S650 Ford Mustang shell and transforms into a jaw-dropping race car.
Ford Performance recently uploaded a series to its YouTube channel showcasing the build process an S650 Mustang goes through in order to become a legendary racing machine. The first part of the series revealed the beginning stages of development; the second part showed Ford Performance and Multimatic craft the epic engine of the Mustang GT3. Both of which are incredibly fascinating. The most recent video showcases what is more important when it comes to track-ready performance, downforce, braking, and finding the perfect combination to build a competitive race car.
Each Ford Mustang Dark Horse GT3 arrives at the Multimatic shop as a standard Ford Mustang shell, where the team removes any unnecessary metal. Following the modifications, the two companies add FIA-approved parts and pieces, which will ensure the car is both competitive and safe. The vehicle is then tested using different wind tunnels, which offer the team insights on improving downforce and speed on the track. Parts are designed to be changed for the car, ensuring that it performs optimally depending on the track and other conditions. This is done, in part, thanks to rapid prototyping, which allows the team to create new parts overnight.
Watching the development of the Ford Mustang GT3 is quite spectacular. Especially considering that the entire build starts with a street-legal Ford Mustang skeleton. All of this is a build-up to an epic race against the C8 Corvette Z06 GT3.R during this year’s IMSA GTD Pro class, with the first race of the season taking place on January 27th at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
