All-new 2024 Mustang debuts as NASCAR pace car
The all-new 2024 Mustang GT is set to make its NASCAR pace car debut this weekend when all three of NASCAR’s top touring series compete at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
This will mark the first of seven NASCAR races that the seventh-generation Mustang GT is scheduled to pace in 2023. The other races include: Talladega (April 21-23), Dover (April 29-30), Darlington (May 12-14), Nashville (June 23-25), Chicago (June 30-July 2) and the annual Labour Day Weekend at Darlington (Sept. 1-3).
“We’ve had great success racing Mustang globally, including winning last year’s NASCAR championship,” said global director, Ford Performance Motorsports, Mark Rushbrook. “Racing leads to better-informed development of products and seeing the all-new Mustang GT setting the pace at NASCAR make this connection even stronger with our customers and fans.”
The Grabber Blue GT pace car is stock other than pace car visibility items that include the light bar and custom Ford Performance and Mustang exterior graphics.
MOST POWERFUL MUSTANG GT 5.0-LITRE V8
Mustang uses a new fourth-generation Coyote V8 engine with an available active-valve performance exhaust system, which enables GT coupe and convertible to deliver 486 horsepower and 418 ft.-lb. of torque. Beyond the boost in power, the system’s free-flowing design delivers a custom-V8 sound with the ability to close the valves to restrict the amount of noise made by the car.
Those opting for the standard GT still enjoy 480 horsepower – the most standard power in a naturally aspirated V8 Mustang ever. In addition, the engine delivers 415 ft.-lb. of torque for the most standard torque ever.
The fourth-generation Coyote V8 features a segment-first, dual intake and dual throttle body induction system that’s matched with structural improvements and upgraded oil pan. This helps minimise induction loss by enabling higher air flow rates.
For GT and Dark Horse, horsepower and torque ratings are the same for automatic and manual transmissions.
EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR DESIGN
Mustang’s low, horizontal brow across the front emphasises overall frontal width, while the upper grille design shape is influenced by the original Mustang’s 1960s design. The Tri-Bar LED headlamps continue Mustang’s classic lighting signature. Its sleek roofline, broad sprinting stance and shortened rear overhang are also true to the authentic proportions of the first generation, while the widened rear haunches point to the power over the wheels.
The roofline is optimised for entry and exit without drivers needing to remove their helmet on the track, and an extended rear deck houses a new crisp signature tri-bar lighting and redesigned diffuser for improved aerodynamic balance in the rear.
Behind the 2024 Mustang’s chiselled exterior lies the most technologically advanced, driver-centric cockpit of any Mustang to date. There’s a fighter jet-inspired digital cockpit, and under its hood are a choice of two advanced engines – 2.3-litre EcoBoost or 5.0-litre V8.
