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| 14th April 2004 | Home: Automotive & Design News: Design: Mustang GT-R Concept |
| Mustang GT-R Concept
Ford revitalises road-racing heritage with its Mustang GT-R
"The Mustang GT-R blends today’s breathtaking design, Ford Racing’s unmatched history and the most advanced racing technology into the ultimate Mustang," says J Mays, Ford group vice president, design. "Mustang’s iconic image grew with every checkered flag so we think the Mustang GT-R is an appropriate tribute to the car’s 40th anniversary, and a hint at what’s to come." The bright Valencia Orange car – inspired by the famous Grabber Orange 1970 Mustang Boss 302 Trans-Am race cars (the Yellow Mustangs) piloted by race legends, including Parnelli Jones – is a technological showcase that, when peeled back, reveals a number of existing or production-feasible racing parts. "The Mustang GT-R shows that Ford is back in road racing in a serious way," says Jim O’Connor, Ford group vice president, North America marketing, sales and service. The Mustang GT-R features Ford Racing’s 440-horsepower "Cammer" crate engine that already is affordably available to grassroots racers, and can be tuned to produce more than 500 horsepower under certain race series rules. Last year, a tuned 505-horsepower version of the "Cammer" notched world-class performance and endurance credentials by powering a Focus Daytona Prototype to victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona race. "The GT-R is the Mustang racers would build if they weren’t bound by various road racing rules," says Dan Davis. "We were fortunate to start with a rigid, well-balanced production Mustang that was proven on the track by some of the same people who, in previous jobs, helped Ford Racing win on Sundays". Doug Gaffka’s – design director, Ford Performance Group – design inspiration for the Mustang GT-R was simple: Flex the 2005 Mustang shell to wrap the engine and retain 85 percent of the production car’s solid structure. "We decided that when a car as good as the 2005 Mustang comes along, we don't need to look much further for a pure race car," he says, noting that the Mustang's shell would be dressing for the engine and roll cage. The carbon fibre bonnet instantly communicates the car’s performance – its large engine bulge and unfinished surface harken back to the famous yellow, black-hooded Mustangs. The Mustang GT-R features the classic pony in the grille, surrounded by modern materials as well as advanced aerodynamic treatments like ground-hugging front and side splitters. The classic Mustang rear quarter windows are blocked out to accommodate the fuel delivery "dry-break" system on the driver’s side. The doors are fully functional as required by many of the possible racing classes. Inside, the instrument panel preserves the dramatic styling of the 2005 Mustang in a carbon fiber application for racing. In anticipation of another trend, designers chose a Formula One-style steering wheel with most vehicle controls and gauges integrated, including the tachometer, gear selections, telemetry and warning signals. Only the oil pressure and water temperature gauges are located on the instrument panel. "Most racers cobble together interiors," says Gaffka. "The Formula One-style steering wheel significantly reduces dash gauges to help preserve Mustang’s powerful instrument panel, which is the next evolution of our interior design leadership." |
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