Ford Introduces New Mustang GT3 Livery Celebrating Past Success

The new livery, which will take to the track this weekend during the round ofIMSA of Long Beach, combines eight historic liveries of the brand with the blue oval, all of which brought success to the Mustang brand.

It was on French roads that the Mustang recorded its first successes, from the year of its release, in 1964. Ford in fact scored a double in the Tour de France automobile, after more than 5 km of racing, on open roads and with some hill climbs.

The following year, Ford turned to Carroll Shelby to homologate the Mustang to race in the SCCA championship in the United States. Strategy paid off since the Ford Mustang won the first of its three consecutive titles in the B-Production category that year, with Jerry Titus at the wheel. The Mustang also won the 1966 Trans-Am championship, with the Shelby American Mustang.

IMSA and Trans-Am, bastions of the Ford Mustang

The Mustang Boss 302 won the title in 1970, with George Follmer and American legend Parnelli Jones, winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1963, at the wheel. It was not until 1981 that Ford and the Mustang were at the top of the world.Endurance American, with the first successes in the GTX category, with Klaus Ludwig on board.

Engaged in 1985 and 1987 under the banner of Jack Roush's team, the Mustang made its mark in the history of the GTO category, first of all with a title, won by John Jones. Lyn St. James became, in 1985, the first woman to win in the category, with three victories. In 1987, it was at the 24 Hours of Daytona that the Roush Mustang won its class with the quartet of Tom Gloy, Bill Elliott, Lyn St. James and Scott Pruett.

The final tribute is paid to Tommy Kendall's Mustang Cobra, which crushed the 1997 Trans-Am championship, with 11 straight victories. Mike Borkowski also won the last two rounds of the season, where the Mustangs left only crumbs to the competition.

The eight liveries were therefore mixed to result in the creation celebrating the 60th anniversary of the American icon. “Designers took an artistic approach to blending different designs, creating a new livery that pays homage to Mustang's racing heritage while showcasing the power of the Mustang GT3”, explained Mark Rushbrook, general manager of Ford Performance Motorsports.

“Each historic livery is depicted as having been worn by the battle of racing, then integrated into the design of the Mustang GT3, signifying its deep-rooted spirit. Every big race win and title has propelled the Mustang forward, and we believe that champion spirit will lead the Mustang to future victories. »