The new Ford Mustang racing car was unveiled yesterday at the American manufacturer’s headquarters in Dearborn. The firm timed the much awaited release with the week of celebrations marking the manufacturing of the 10th million Mustang.
The new model will be the first Ford to compete at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, debuting next year at the Daytona 500 on the 17th of February. The Mustang comes in replacement of the Ford Fusion, which will be retired after twelve years.
The decision to launch this new Mustang racer has a lot to do with the great market success that the Mustang has had over the last few years. Last year alone, Ford sold 125.809 units, becoming the most popular coupe-sports car in the world and even ousting the Porsche 911 in 13 European countries.
A racing soul
The technical and creative teams at Ford have been hard at work in order to adapt the Mustang’s traditional design to the strict NASCAR regulations. This means that underneath its sleek bodywork, the new model will still have the same chassis as rivals ZL1 and Camry, as well as a 900 American horsepower engine.
Despite the novelty of this release, the Mustang has always had a racing soul. In 1964 a Mustang won the Tour de France Automobile, and since, it has successfully participated in numerous competitions. Ford has also raced at the NASCAR Xfinity series since 2011, winning in one of its categories every single year since but one.
Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president, acknowledged the Mustang was a long overdue addition to the top level of the racing world “After more than a half-century, it feels great to finally let Mustang run in the top echelon of America’s most popular stock car racing series.”
The Mustang is also the fourth Ford model since 1972 to compete at the ovals, following on the steps of the Thunderbird, the Taurus and the Fusion. Its launch has had a great reception in the motor-sports world: “Ever since we announced in April that Mustang would be going to the Cup level in 2019, we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director at Ford Performance Motorsports; “We can’t wait to see it winning races in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.”
By T.C. | Photo: www.NASCAR.com
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