Ford created something special with the Mustang GTD. An 800-horsepower muscle car with the bones of a race car is the stuff of dreams. Unfortunately, not many will get to enjoy its performance thanks to its $300,000 price tag and the fact that you have to apply to Ford to buy one. Whoever gets the chance to own one of these things, though, will be in for a mechanical treat.
Aside from the special stuff like the monster V8, the entire rear of the car has been dedicated to housing things like the a cooling system for the transaxle, a hydraulic control system and best of all, the semi-active inboard mounted rear suspension.
The suspension setup is unique in that rather than sitting in line and above the wheels like in most cars, the shocks and springs sit between and right below the wheels. Ford then threw on Multimatic’s Adaptive Spool Valve dampers that adapt to the road surface and can go from soft to firm in just 15 milliseconds. You can watch all of this work through a special window built into the interior of the GTD.
Ford engineers made a 24” x 10” polycarbonate, scratch resistant window so that the passenger can watch the suspension system work. Ford says engineers put it there because it’s like watching “a finely crafted timepiece” in action. “With a car as capable as Mustang GTD, we had to do something that’s just plain cool and owners will appreciate,” said Jim Owens, Mustang GTD marketing manager
Ford will put the Mustang GTD and its suspension on display later this year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Goodwood Festival of Speed and the 24 Hours of Spa before it’s ultimate test of a run around the Nurburgring.
