2025 Ford Mustang GTD Spirit of America Special Edition Debuts

[Sharkman]

This special Mustang GTD takes inspiration from Ford's color scheme high performance spirit in the 1960's and 70's.

These are the highlights of the whooping $325,000 special GTD model

- Mustang GTD Spirit of America honors America’s spirit of ingenuity and perseverance and 60 years of Mustang achievement, from its first win at the 1964 Tour de France to becoming the first car from an American brand to lap the famed Nürburgring in less than 7 minutes.

- Twin painted racing stripes mimic Mustang’s iconic Tribar logo from 1964 and honor Mustang’s racing history.

- Mustang GTD Spirit of America comes standard with the Performance package and features exposed carbon fiber aerodynamic elements and unique exterior trimmings, including a bright “MUSTANG” wordmark on the underside of the rear wing.

- The interior features a mix of leather and Dinamica faux-suede elements in a combination of Black Onyx and Race Red Stripes on the seats. There is also Victory Blue contrast stitching and white elements on the seats and door trim panels. The paddel shifters and shift ring are 3D printed titanium.

What are your thoughts of this special heritage model?

Mustangs, real HP Mustangs were meant to have a stick shift not a dial based transmission - Faker Stang

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[young at heart]

GM did it first.......

Well, if you want to get technical maybe GM wasn’t the very first. From 1971:

 

[Paul's stable]

Much ado about nothing! Are they custom Recaro Seats or just an imitation?
At the price point I would have expected much more. I am perfectly happy with my Dark Horse.

GTD - Goofy Totally Dumb

My Dark Horse was fine but now that it's supercharged It's really fine not even thinking of a GTD plus I'm not a youtuber or special so I could never get a GTD.

 

[Sharkman]

My Dark Horse was fine but now that it's supercharged It's really fine not even thinking of a GTD plus I'm not a youtuber or special so I could never get a GTD.

I never even considered a GTD, I love Mustangs but I could never pay that much for one. While I can afford it, I have better things to spend my money on. Funny thing is I seem to like my Bullitt more than the Dark Horse. Maybe it is familiarity or that it is less complicated. Still the Dark Horse is fun to drive. Just waiting for it to stop raining here for a few days. It is better to get used to driving the car in dry conditions. And so that is the plan for this weekend, I will drive it to see my Sister in Arizona, see how the DH deals with an 800 mile journey each way.

 

[REV745DH24]

For a car that is priced in the "You can't afford this" , and even if you could "You aren't good enough to qualify" I completely understand the vibe around this car. Especially when another manufacturer just knocked it out of the park with a car much more obtainable to ALL car enthusiasts. Too bad FORD decided to not care what buyers think , and opted to leave the conversation. You would think hearing what the consumers want and like would be beneficial.

Having said that , I think this Spirit of America car is REALLY cool. I like it alot. Don't even mind the huge MUSTANG on the wing. The red mirrors are a bit much , but don't hate it. I think the wheels could have been white with red and/or blue somehow mixed in possibly...

I would love to have one in my garage , but that's what fantasies are for !

I would love to have one in my garage , but that's what fantasies are for ! Aka like me too!

 

[Cauf E. Bean]

I guess I'm a little surprised at the majority of the vitriolic responses. The Ford GTD is not a mustang for daily drivers. It's not even a mustang for weekend warriors trying to put a good quarter-mile time down on the track.

The GTD was not built for what anyone in who's ever owned a Mustang before would expect from the GTD. This is a modern reimagining of the Ford v. Ferrari era, now Ford v. The World. That's an important point because you don't see Ferrari's on your weekend drag strip either - they AREN'T BUILT FOR THAT.

Think back to the 3rd Gen (Fox Body) - they just left behind the leaf spring managed live axel rear suspension behind in favor of the four-link live axel with coil springs. While this setup was a huge improvement of the previous Gen 1 and Gen 2 leaf-spring-live-axel (LSLA), the four-link setup still had limitations in controlling axel movement during hard (1) cornering and (2) acceleration.

By 4th Gen (1994-2004), the Mustang still had an independent front suspension with MacPherson struts (largely unchanged since 1974) and a now >15 year old four-link rear-end, which had seen some improvements, but was being surpassed by cars with independent rear suspension which offered superior handling.

By 5th generation (2005-2014) the majority of performance cars had transitioned to the independent rear suspension, including the Dodge Challenger, when it relaunched in 2008. In the front - same old MacPherson struts. In the rear, an improved three-link axel with a Panhard rod; better, but still a limitation in delivering the ultimate handling performance of the competition.

In 6th generation we see the first update to the front suspension since the MacPherson strut was implemented; this update is now the current double ball-joint MacPherson strut. But the big news was the change in the caboose: independent rear suspension with integral link. With the ability to now independently move each rear wheel suspension the 6G welcomed in the era of better control and grip.

Here in 7th Gen (2024 - ?) Ford has focused on dialing in the suspension geometry, spring rates, and damper settings, while at the same time (mind blown!) introducing a MagneRide Dampening System that can adjust their firmness based on road conditions and driving inputs (and it does these changes in milliseconds. There's even some in-between options available now, including options for stiffer springs and sway bars (from the factory!), a Torsen limited-slip differential, and some chassis tuning options for optimized handling.

So with this timeline of improvements, what does the GTD really offer? Suspension without compromise for track performance, from a ground up design, implementation of advanced technology (including active aero), and street-legal implementation of Race Car innovations. That's:

• Performance-tuned double ball-joint MacPherson struts (an oldy but a goody?)
• Inboard cantilever multi-link pushrod suspension with adaptive spool valve dampers.
• Dampers and springs are now mounted to the chassis, not the wheel hubs. Why?
  • Reduction in unsprung weight
  • Improved Aerodynamics
  • More precise tuning of suspension geometry and kinematics.
• Redesigned cantilever and pushrod system, redirecting vertical wheel movement into horizontal movement of the dampers
• Adaptative spool Valve Dampers from Multimatic, giving a Mustang (!) the same insanely precise control over damping forces that Formula 1 uses to adjust the car to specific track conditions (and the same one used in the Ford GT suspension.)
• Adjustable ride height of up to 1 - 1/2 inches under dynamic loads, in real time.
• A wider vehicle with aggressive geometry

What does a track-focused package mean though? Well, here it's more subjective: if you are that weekend warrior or the average mid-life crises case driving a fully-decked out 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, you're into it about $90,000; but the Nurburgring is going to be in the 7:30 + lap time, and a straight line quarter at about 12.5 to 13 seconds.
But the GTD did that in 6:57 min. This puts the GTD in rarified territory with other production cars such as:
Porsche: 918 Spyder, 911 GT3 RS, 911 GT3, 911 GT2 RS, 911 GT3 RS, 911 GT2 RS Manthey-Racing
Lamborghini: Huracan Performante, Aventador SVJ,
Mercedes: Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, AMG One.
Three manufacturers held the top 10 spots. None of them Ferarri, Koenigsegg, Nissan, Toyota, Tesla, or you know, any of a bevvy of other go-fast makers.
Now we add Ford to that oh-so-short list. Three Hundred Thousand Dollars is a bargain for the driver who can handle it, use it, and win with it. For the rest of the world, buying it is just a flex, and ya - the price still fits the buyer.

As for the spirit of America version - I'm not sure that I see the value of the model to anyone except collectors. Magnesium wheels plus a ton of cosmetic changes doesn't seem worth the extra $25K if all you're going to do is put it through some serious racing.

 

[JimC]

Well, if you want to get technical maybe GM wasn’t the very first. From 1971:

Don't forget the 1972 Mustang Sprint edition cars available in coupe and fastback

:

 

[falcongtho3]

And you could get it on the Pintos and Mavericks as well!

 

[Upacurb]

I guess I'm a little surprised at the majority of the vitriolic responses. The Ford GTD is not a mustang for daily drivers. It's not even a mustang for weekend warriors trying to put a good quarter-mile time down on the track.

The GTD was not built for what anyone in who's ever owned a Mustang before would expect from the GTD. This is a modern reimagining of the Ford v. Ferrari era, now Ford v. The World. That's an important point because you don't see Ferrari's on your weekend drag strip either - they AREN'T BUILT FOR THAT.

Think back to the 3rd Gen (Fox Body) - they just left behind the leaf spring managed live axel rear suspension behind in favor of the four-link live axel with coil springs. While this setup was a huge improvement of the previous Gen 1 and Gen 2 leaf-spring-live-axel (LSLA), the four-link setup still had limitations in controlling axel movement during hard (1) cornering and (2) acceleration.

By 4th Gen (1994-2004), the Mustang still had an independent front suspension with MacPherson struts (largely unchanged since 1974) and a now >15 year old four-link rear-end, which had seen some improvements, but was being surpassed by cars with independent rear suspension which offered superior handling.

By 5th generation (2005-2014) the majority of performance cars had transitioned to the independent rear suspension, including the Dodge Challenger, when it relaunched in 2008. In the front - same old MacPherson struts. In the rear, an improved three-link axel with a Panhard rod; better, but still a limitation in delivering the ultimate handling performance of the competition.

In 6th generation we see the first update to the front suspension since the MacPherson strut was implemented; this update is now the current double ball-joint MacPherson strut. But the big news was the change in the caboose: independent rear suspension with integral link. With the ability to now independently move each rear wheel suspension the 6G welcomed in the era of better control and grip.

Here in 7th Gen (2024 - ?) Ford has focused on dialing in the suspension geometry, spring rates, and damper settings, while at the same time (mind blown!) introducing a MagneRide Dampening System that can adjust their firmness based on road conditions and driving inputs (and it does these changes in milliseconds. There's even some in-between options available now, including options for stiffer springs and sway bars (from the factory!), a Torsen limited-slip differential, and some chassis tuning options for optimized handling.

So with this timeline of improvements, what does the GTD really offer? Suspension without compromise for track performance, from a ground up design, implementation of advanced technology (including active aero), and street-legal implementation of Race Car innovations. That's:

• Performance-tuned double ball-joint MacPherson struts (an oldy but a goody?)
• Inboard cantilever multi-link pushrod suspension with adaptive spool valve dampers.
• Dampers and springs are now mounted to the chassis, not the wheel hubs. Why?
  • Reduction in unsprung weight
  • Improved Aerodynamics
  • More precise tuning of suspension geometry and kinematics.
• Redesigned cantilever and pushrod system, redirecting vertical wheel movement into horizontal movement of the dampers
• Adaptative spool Valve Dampers from Multimatic, giving a Mustang (!) the same insanely precise control over damping forces that Formula 1 uses to adjust the car to specific track conditions (and the same one used in the Ford GT suspension.)
• Adjustable ride height of up to 1 - 1/2 inches under dynamic loads, in real time.
• A wider vehicle with aggressive geometry

What does a track-focused package mean though? Well, here it's more subjective: if you are that weekend warrior or the average mid-life crises case driving a fully-decked out 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, you're into it about $90,000; but the Nurburgring is going to be in the 7:30 + lap time, and a straight line quarter at about 12.5 to 13 seconds.
But the GTD did that in 6:57 min. This puts the GTD in rarified territory with other production cars such as:
Porsche: 918 Spyder, 911 GT3 RS, 911 GT3, 911 GT2 RS, 911 GT3 RS, 911 GT2 RS Manthey-Racing
Lamborghini: Huracan Performante, Aventador SVJ,
Mercedes: Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, AMG One.
Three manufacturers held the top 10 spots. None of them Ferarri, Koenigsegg, Nissan, Toyota, Tesla, or you know, any of a bevvy of other go-fast makers.
Now we add Ford to that oh-so-short list. Three Hundred Thousand Dollars is a bargain for the driver who can handle it, use it, and win with it. For the rest of the world, buying it is just a flex, and ya - the price still fits the buyer.

As for the spirit of America version - I'm not sure that I see the value of the model to anyone except collectors. Magnesium wheels plus a ton of cosmetic changes doesn't seem worth the extra $25K if all you're going to do is put it through some serious racing.

I see the official Ford account is back......

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