Ford Unveils Three Mustangs to Compete in 2024 Le Mans
The Ford GT's history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans dates back to the 1960s, when the first GT40 ended Ferrari's dominance in 1966 and took the overall victory.
Now it is the Mustang's turn to take its place.
The 2024 Le Mans race kicks off this weekend, and Ford's newest Mustang will be taking to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Three Mustang GT3 racing cars will be entered in the LMGT3 class presented by Proton Competition. This class is for racing cars based on production models and is the class in which modern GT supercars competed after their success at Le Mans in 2016.
Proton Competition is a German racing team that will enter two Mustang GT3s in the 2024 World Endurance Championship. The team will run a third car in the Le Mans race, the highlight of the WEC calendar. [Ryan Hardwick, Ben Baker, and Zachary Robichon will drive the No. 77 car; Giorgio Roda, Dennis Olsen, and Mikkel O. Pedersen will drive the No. 88 car; and Christopher Moosan and Mikkel O. Pedersen; car 44 will be Christopher Mees, John Hartshorn, and Ben Tuck. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44. car 44.
The Mustang GT3 was derived from the Mustang Dark Horse and developed with partners Multimatic and M-Sport. Under the hood was a 5.4-liter version of the Coyote 5.0-liter V-8.
The Mustang GT3 competes against race cars based on the Aston Martin Vantage, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Ferrari 296 GTB, Lamborghini Huracan, Lexus RC F, McLaren 720S, and Porsche 911.
This is not the first time the Mustang has competed at Le Mans. In the past, the Mustang has competed at Le Mans in 1967 and 1997.
Ford will also debut a circuit-specific but street-legal Mustang GTD in Europe against the backdrop of Le Mans. On display will be a Carbon Series model equipped with a performance pack.
The Mustang GTD's appearance on the sidelines of the Le Mans race means the start of the purchase application process for the car in Europe. The North American buyer application process closed last month, and Ford has confirmed that it received more than 7,500 applications. The automaker has not yet revealed how many of the cars it plans to build.