Ford Mustang GTD Carbon Series Debuts at Le Mans; Performance Pack, Interior Revealed

The Ford Mustang GTD, a high-performance variant of the seventh-gen pony car Ford believes can complete Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes, made its European debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, flaunting a new Carbon Series treatment, an optional Performance package and a full showcase of it’s interior.

As the name suggests, the Carbon Series GTD highlights the model’s lightweight construction by way of exposed carbon fiber elements. You’ll spot the weave across the hood, roof and rear “Tech Deck,” contrasting one of six available body colors, including the new Chroma Flame lacquer showcased at Le Mans. The Carbon Series rides on a set of aluminum or magnesium wheels finished in “Magnetite,” behind which are blue-, red- or black-painted calipers.

If you know about the ‘Ring, you know that a sub-seven-minute lap time is a bold claim to make– but when you consider what makes the GTD so potent, well, that claim doesn’t seem so outrageous. Necessary in clocking that benchmark, according to Ford, is an available Performance package, showcased on the Carbon Series but available on all GTDs.

This additional package outfits the GTD with a unique front fascia with dive planes and a larger splitter; additional aero is supplied by underbody flaps and a drag reduction system added to the rear wing, optimizing drag and downforce under various conditions, be it straight line sprints or high-speed cornering. With the Performance package equipped, the GTD is stripped of sound-deadening material and further lightened by a set of 20-inch magnesium wheels.

“Many sports cars excel at one thing. But for a car to set a quick lap at the Nürburgring, it needs to be great at everything,” said Mustang GTD Chief Engineer Greg Goodall. “Cornering, grip, braking, acceleration, there’s not a single area where it can’t shine. From the lightweight carbon fiber body on every GTD to the active aerodynamics of the Performance package, we’ve learned from motorsport how to make the Mustang GTD excel everywhere, all in the quest for a sub-seven-minute lap of the Nürburgring.”

Although the Mustang GTD has been in the public eye for almost a year now, its appearance at the famed endurance race marks the first real-life showcasing of its interior. While not entirely removed by the seventh-gen’s motifs, this driver-focused cabin seats both occupants in standard Recaro buckets; and yes, it’s just a two-seater, as the rears have been removed to make room for the inboard rear suspension, viewable through an interior window and, by extension, through the rear exterior glass.

That suspension is semi-active, adjustable through a steering wheel-mounted button, as is the exhaust system. Two additional buttons are embedded at the lower section of the center stack, bound to the Track Apps page and front-axle lift system. A rotary-dial is used for gear selection, akin to the interface used in the most recent GT500.

The transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch unit, mounted transaxle to assist in Ford’s quest for a near 50/50 weight distribution. It’s connected via a carbon fiber driveshaft to the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine, anticipated to produce more than 800 horsepower.

The Ford Mustang GTD, having finished its time at Le Mans, is now inbound to the 24 Hours of Spa, where it will be showcased once again, followed by an appearance at Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The GTD will also chase down that sub-seven-minute lap with Nürburgring testing this summer.