10 TECH INSIDER: MUSTANG GT3 electronics, with the former’s collision warning system and ABS used in addition to the ECU. He has high praise for components such as the pedal box from Alcon (which also supplies calipers and the rest of the brake system): “That’s the best in the industry. When you go to adjust it, it doesn’t jam up and it’s really well made.” The electronic clutch actuator from Mega-Line is also highlighted: “You can go [to one program] like that, and pull away like your grandad, or press another program and absolutely launch it and never stall. It’s an incredible thing.” The final element upon which the success (or failure) of the Mustang customer program will hinge is support. Here, Multimatic has been ramping up its capabilities. “That part of my business has just become a monster,” remarks Holt. “We were in a small shop in Mooresville in North Carolina, where we were running the Mazdas [DPi] and doing the AMG [GT3] parts business. Now that building has become just the team to run this Mustang and build these things for customers. We’ve now got a huge warehouse down the road, walking distance, where we are running the AMG parts business, customer support and all the Porsche LMDh customer stuff out of, and then this. It’s a huge warehouse with parts and Right: Development of the Mustang has been complicated by the fact that the windshear tunnel in North Carolina and Sauber’s facility in Switzerland return different results technical support hotlines, so we have become a sort of professional customer racing support company.” Overall, Holt is adamant that everything about the Mustang has been designed to work for the customer, drawing on everything that Multimatic learned from the GT and other projects but reworked to create a car that flatters drivers across all conditions. “We’re looking at the teams, trying to make it easy to work on, looking at drivers, making it easy on the tires and being able to get a lap time at the end of 25 laps at Sebring. We want to get the same lap time at the end of that stint as you did at the beginning.” But for all its amicable traits, no performance is being left on the table for the Mustang (within the BoP constraints). Throughout testing, Holt says, “We’re just there, right out of the box, just at race pace. We’re right at race pace all the way through the lap.” < › Siblings The Mustang GT3 rounds out a trio of track-based variants of Ford’s latest Pony car, complementing the track-day-biased Dark Horse R and the GT4. The Mustang Dark Horse R is powered by a 5.0-liter Coyote V8, generating 507ps, paired with a Tremec 3160 manual transmission. This is linked to a Torsen-type limited-slip differential featuring a 3.73 final drive ratio. The drivetrain incorporates several enhancements, including an improved oil system, a Ford Performance oil pan, upgraded differential cooling and a Borla race exhaust. Designed exclusively for circuit use, the Dark Horse R boasts an array of track-oriented components, such as a full roll cage, the obligatory Multimatic DSSV dampers, along with adjustable front camber plates and anti-roll bars. Reinforcing the chassis, specific areas have been seam welded to bolster its structural rigidity. Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, says, “Mustang Dark Horse R bridges the gap between Dark Horse and Mustang GT3 and GT4. Production-based Mustang vehicles have raced from the very beginning, all the way back to winning the Touring class at the 1964 Tour de France, even. Dark Horse R offers our passionate customers not just an attainable, factory-built race car but also a racing series to compete with other Mustang enthusiasts.” The GT4 variant, meanwhile, builds on the success of its predecessor. Rushbrook comments, “The Mustang GT4 is a key member of our motorsports lineup. Its placement between the Mustang GT3 and Mustang Dark Horse R keeps the brand in competition at all levels of on-track performance and is an important part of our customer racing program. With this new version we’ve upped the game and are ready to challenge an entire world of competitors.” As with the GT3, Ford worked with Multimatic on the GT4, which will build all the cars. The Coyote-based V8 is developed in-house by Ford Performance and will be assembled in Dearborn, Michigan. The GT4 race car also features Multimatic’s DSSV dampers, a Holinger dog-ring gearbox, paddleshifters with pneumatic actuation, natural-fiber composite body panels and an aero package developed to meet GT4 performance targets. 2023 | www.pmw-magazine.com