Ford unveiled its all-new Mustang GT3 on Friday in Le Mans, France. The Mustang Dark Horse-based race car is set to compete next year across the globe.
According to Ford Performance, the Mustang GT3 will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2024, and will be entered into the global FIA GT3 category. It will also compete in the 2024 World Endurance Championship season.
Ford last won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 with the Ford GT.
“Ford and Le Mans are bound together by history. And now we’re coming back to the most dramatic, most rewarding and most important race in the world,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “It is not Ford versus Ferrari anymore. It is Ford versus everyone. Going back to Le Mans is the beginning of building a global motorsports business with Mustang, just like we are doing with Bronco and Raptor off-road.”
Before it races in Le Mans next year, the Mustang GT3 will compete in various GT3 series across the world in customer teams. The first customer team is Proton Competition, which is based in Ehingen, Germany.
“This is a very important program and an exciting moment for our organization,” Proton Competition Team Principal Christian Ried said. “The Mustang is a great brand and this is an important step for our team. We look forward to joining with Ford starting in 2024.”
Ford Performance will also field a two-car factory race program with the Mustang GT3 in IMSA's GTD Pro Class, which will start at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This is the latest announcement of Ford getting back into the global racing scene. In February, Ford announced a return to Formula One with Red Bull Racing.
Ford and Red Bull will partner on the development of the next-gen hybrid power unit, which will take effect with engine changes in F1 in 2026. Ford will supply the engines to both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri teams from 2026 through at least 2030.
Red Bull won the 2022 constructors championship and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the 2022 drivers championship.
“This is the start of a thrilling new chapter in Ford’s motorsports story that began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company,” Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford said in a statement. “Ford is returning to the pinnacle of the sport, bringing Ford’s long tradition of innovation, sustainability and electrification to one of the world’s most visible stages."
“There are few manufacturers who have such a celebrated motorsport history as Ford, so to see them coming back to the FIA Formula One World Championship is excellent news. It further underlines the success of the 2026 Power Unit Regulations that have at their heart a commitment to both sustainability and spectacle, and of course, having more interest from the United States is important for the continued growth of the world’s top motorsport category," FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement.
Ford left F1 in 2004 but is the third-most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history with 10 Constructors' championships and 13 drivers' championships.
Ford will start this year with Red Bull Powertrains to develop the power unit. It will include a 350 kW electric motor and a new combustion engine able to accept sustainable fuels.
The automaker said in 2026, it will be the only manufacturer competing in racing disciplines from grassroots motorsports to Formula 1, with cars in IMSA and WEC races, NASCAR, rally races, NHRA and more.
