Ford unveils new Mustang GT3 at Le Mans
(CBS DETROIT) - Ahead of this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford unveiled its new Mustang GT3.
Based on the new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, the Mustang GT3 will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 and the 2024 World Endurance Championship season.
"Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we're coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world," said Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley in a statement. "It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone. Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road."
Before running the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024, the car will be fielded by customer teams and compete in several GT3 series.
The first customer team, Proton Competition of Ehingen, Germany, intends to field two Mustang GT3s in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2024.
"For a project like the Mustang GT3, we turned to two of our most trusted partners in the motorsports world to help bring this vehicle and program together," said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. "I know we'll all be as thrilled as Ford fans when Mustang begins racing at the highest levels of GT racing in 2024."
Ford Performance will support a two-car factory race program with Mustang GT3 competing in IMSA's GTD Pro division. The group will be managed by Multimatic Motorsports and will debut at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
"This is a very important program and an exciting moment for our organization," said Proton Competition team principal Christian Ried. "The Mustang is a great brand and this is an important step for our team. We look forward to joining with Ford starting in 2024."
For more information on the announcement, visit here.