The first Ford Mustang GTD – the Blue Oval’s answer to the Porsche 911 GT3 – set to come to Australia, has been handed over in the US, where Craig Dean, founder of Mustang Motorsport and Crossover Car Conversions, took delivery of the limited edition hardcore muscle car last week.
After a highly competitive application process that required prospective owners to complete a detailed submission and complete an interview in which they outlined their passion for the Blue Oval brand and intended use of the vehicle, Mr. Dean accepted his GTD at South Bay Ford in Los Angeles, California.
Production of the Mustang GTD – the fastest and most advanced road-legal production Mustang ever to hit the market – is currently limited to 1,700 units but could be increased.
More than 7,500 people are understood to have applied for the first allocation before GTD production began early last year and only 271 examples were reportedly built.
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To emphasize its exclusivity, Ford has banned Mustang GTD buyers from selling their vehicles within two years of receiving them, to discourage speculators from immediately selling the cars for a profit.
Like all Mustangs, the GTD begins at Ford’s Flat Rock plant in Michigan before being completed by Multimatic – the same company responsible for producing the second-generation Ford GT supercar and the GT3 and GT4-spec Mustang race cars – in Canada, where production ends this year.
Daily Sparkz Mr Dean, who is now an ambassador for Mustang Motorsport following his retirement, was the driving force behind the recent inclusion of the Mustang GTD on the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles Register (SEVS), which allows for the personal importation of rare and high-performance vehicles.
The GTD will only be produced in left-hand drive and at this stage it is not clear whether Mr Dean plans to have it converted to right-hand drive by his former Crossover Car Conversions company or whether it will remain an unregistered, track-only vehicle.
Mustang Motorsport’s new owner and managing director, James Johnson, said Daily Sparkz Either way, the first Mustang GTD to arrive in Australia will make a series of public appearances, starting with a track day at Phillip Island later this year.
Mustang Motorsport remains the official distributor of Shelby and RTR products in Australia, where it will launch the Shelby Super Snake-R, a limited-edition widebody version of the Mustang Dark Horse, later this year.
While Mr. Dean’s GTD will soon be on its way to Australia, we’ve learned that at least one other Australian has applied to purchase a GTD. However, it remains unclear whether this application was successful.
After his application was accepted, Mr. Dean worked closely with his dedicated Ford concierge to configure his vehicle. He specified the Lightning Blue exterior color, the exposed carbon fiber package and the Performance package with active aerodynamics, including an adjustable rear wing and front and underbody aero elements to maximize downforce.
“What a sharp, stunning machine – I absolutely love it,” he said. “Where’s the track? I can’t wait to ride it.”
Priced at US$325,000 (A$508,000) in North America, the track-focused Mustang GTD is powered by a supercharged 5.2-litre Predator V8 producing 608kW of power and 900Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels via a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for near 50:50 weight distribution and improved driving dynamics reach.
The GTD’s motorsport-derived chassis features a pushrod rear suspension, coilover springs and Adaptive Spool Valve shock absorbers at both ends.
It also features Brembo carbon ceramic brakes and 20-inch wheels with Michelin Cup 2 tires.
Inside, there’s a custom-built driver-focused cockpit that highlights its track-ready intent. It features unique Recaro seats, bespoke display graphics, titanium paddle shifters, a “track apps” button, a front suspension raising system and a see-through window in place of seats behind the front occupants.
In December 2024, the Mustang GTD became the first US production vehicle to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than seven minutes.
Later that month, GTD chief engineer Greg Goodall told the story Daily Sparkz that the model’s racing orientation made producing right-hand drive vehicles a compromise that the Blue Oval brand was unwilling to make.
“That’s a difficult question to answer,” said Mr Goodall when asked why right-hand drive was not an option for the GTD.
“There’s a finite amount of money and a finite amount of time. We had to really focus the team on delivering a single variant that was just everything it could be.”
“We simply didn’t succeed with the right-hand drive version.
“We’re really proud of what we’ve got and we hope Australians can drive it somehow because we care about you, but unfortunately there’s just no right-hand drive version available at the moment.”
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