Not Yes, Hell Yes: Ford Should Build a Street-Legal Mustang GT3

On Twitter, Ford CEO Jim Farley just floated the idea of a road-going version of the car that will race at Le Mans.

Never ask a question you don’t know the answer to. That’s an old bit of lawyer wisdom, and while Ford CEO Jim Farley might not be a member of the bar? Something tells me knew the answer when he recently asked folks on Twitter whether the Blue Oval should build a road-going version of the Mustang GT3 race car. As you can imagine, the response was overwhelming. People want street-legal Mustang racer.

The weapons-grade Mustang GT3 in question was built by Ford Performance in partnership with race specialists Multimatic, and was recently spotted testing at Florida’s Sebring International Raceway. This is the car that’s going to battle at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, and eagled-eyed Mustang fans might notice a few differences between it and the new S650. Because visually, this baby has about as much in common with a standard S650 as a water pistol does with a howitzer.

First, there’s a massive wing at the hindquarters, which sits above an equally large rear diffuser. The bodywork is constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, and huge flares at the front fenders also sport large vents to keep the brakes cool. Under the hood, it’s sporting a 5.4-liter Coyote-derived V8, which per GT3 class rules, will make somewhere between 500 and 600 horsepower.

So if Ford did actually deliver on the idea of making a roadgoing version? There’s a better-than-good chance it’d actually be more powerful than the versions that take to the track. Because at this point, we know that the new Dark Horse Mustang already makes 500 horsepower, and in the past, we’ve also seen loads of Shelby-tuned versions completely annihilate that figure.

Now, when the next-generation Mustang was revealed back in September of last year, Dearborn also announced plans for six different racing versions, including competitors designed for everything from the Australian Supercars series, to FIA GT4, to the NHRA Factory X class, to NASCAR. Current plans call for the hottest new Mustang to be the Dark Horse R, which won’t be street legal, and will come with professional-grade kit like a roll-cage, pit lane speed limiter, and fuel cell.

The Mustang GT3 will make its racing debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2024. Stay tuned for news on whether well-heeled Ford fans will be able to get a version of this thoroughbred for themselves.

Photos: Ford

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John Coyle

John Coyle is a longtime auto journalist and editor who contributes to Corvette Forum, Ford Truck Enthusiasts and LS1Tech, among other auto sites.