In order to produce some of the world’s most impressive performance vehicles, you have to be constantly innovating, and that’s exactly what Ford has done with the groundbreaking Mustang GTD. This vehicle, which is targeting a sub-seven-minute time for the famous Nürburgring race, uses sophisticated active aerodynamic tech that’s illegal for GT3-class race cars and never been seen before on street legal Fords.
The Mustang GTD’s Drag Reduction System is a series of hydraulics that increase the vehicle’s aerodynamics with active adjustments during driving, such as changing the angle of the rear wing and activating flaps under the front of the car. This allows the GTD to be constantly optimizing itself for both airflow for speed and downforce for grip.
“Every surface, body opening and vent on and under Mustang GTD’s body is functional,” said Greg Goodall, Mustang GTD chief program engineer. “Some air is directed for cooling, other for aerodynamics and downforce. All of it to help GTD go faster or stick to the pavement no matter what the conditions are.”
To be able to take tight turns and curves at high speeds, the Mustang GTD needs to prioritize grip and curves and speed on straightaways. To do this, the Drag Reduction System closes the main wing element and flap, creating an integrated airfoil to generate additional downforce on the rear of the vehicle and preventing traction loss. The keel-shaped front underbody of the GTD evacuates incoming air through the front wheel wells and large fender louvers, creating an area of lower pressure that acts like suction to keep the front end stable through turns.
“We actively manage where the center of air pressure is on the vehicle, so the front and rear can remain balanced,” said Goodall. “The ability to do this isn’t allowed in racing, where the rules don’t allow actively managing airflow. Our Le Mans drivers would love to have the technology Mustang GTD has for the track and street.”
It takes highly advanced technology to make a supercar like the Mustang GTD, and the vehicle’s design team is still hard at work refining its aerodynamics with thousands of hours of virtual airflow simulation and time testing on demanding road course tracks, from Road Atlanta to Spa in Belgium. Only time will tell what their next groundbreaking advancements will look like?
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