Nostalgia: Ford Mustang with racing colors that make the participants’ eyes drop

Decorating racing cars is an art. Unless sponsors limit creativity with boring logos and ditto colors, of course. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Mustang GT3 that Ford is running in the US IMSA race this season. Especially for the 60th anniversary of the super sports car, a decorative ‘mix’ from the legendary Mustang sports series from the past was chosen.

No less than eight historic Mustang racing cars were used as prototypes for the 2024 GT3 car, although Ford assembled only four for the group photo. The American manufacturer participates in racing programs on five continents with the Mustang, but only three cars from the North American IMSA program come with the Champion Spirit livery. These are fully called the GTD PRO Mustang GT3 and will debut on May 10 at the Laguna Seca racetrack in California. Their decor is a mix of art and history, the latter even going back to the first Mustangs from the 1960s.

1965: SCCA Mustang GT350

Just a few months after the introduction of the new coupe in New York in 1964, the Mustangs prepared by Alan Mann Racing already took the first two places in the Touring Car category of the Tour de France for cars, thereby shutting down the Ford car. years of Jaguar’s reign. The car did not show up in the photo, but the GT350 of the manufacturer Shelby, which was used a year later in the SCCA or Sports Car Club racing series in America, was there. Jerry Titus won championships with it, he also did so in 1966 and 1967.

1970: Mustang Boss 302

In the Trans-Am Series, established in 1966, Ford immediately won the first title with the Mustang, and in 1970 Bud Moore’s team with drivers Parnelli Jones and George Follmer dominated the championship equally. They won six races with the orange Boss 302 and therefore also the title.

1987: Roush Mustang

Fast forward to 1987, the No. 11 Roush Mustang of Tom Gloy, Bill Elliott, Scott Pruett and female driver Lynn St. James finished first in the GTO division of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

1997: Mustang Cobra

The youngest of the eight Mustang racers to ever be a GT3 model is a Cobra from the 1997 Trans-Am season Tommy Kendall took the win to eleven in a row, while teammate Mike Borkowsky also won two more races. The former rider also became champion that year, like the two previous ones.