Ford has revealed that the upcoming LMDH prototype for the 2027 World Endurance Championship doesn’t resemble the iconic Mustang.
Ford has been bolstering preparations for its first top-class program in 24 hours in Le Mans since 1982, and announced plans to build a vehicle on the LMDH platform in January.
Both the LMDH and LMH rules allow manufacturers to incorporate road car styling elements to provide a clear visual identity for their prototypes.
For example, BMW uses the signature “Kidney Grill” design on the M Hybrid V8, while Alpine incorporates “A” taillights in its A424 LMDH vehicle.
The Mustang is an important part of Ford’s legacy and currently supports the factory efforts in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the Australian Supercar Championship.
However, Ford CEO Jim Farley reveals that the unnamed racer doesn’t look like an iconic muscle car, emphasizing that the American brand is not interested in what he describes as “fake marketing.”
“We want a car that wins,” Farley told reporters, including Crash.Net. “I don’t care if it looks like a spaceship or not, and I shouldn’t.
“We are not trying to change some sort of Ford on top of race cars by doing what other brands do.
“In fact, race cars designed by them are beautiful in their own unique features.
“We don’t have that belief (about using the elements of road cars). In fact, it’s Hughes de Chaunac, which we first said (Oreca Boss) and “Don’t compromise on the vehicle.”
“We want to have the best chance to win Le Mans, and we’re not going to do some fake marketing stuff.”
Ford is partnering with French constructor Oreca, who already offers the LMDH chassis for use by Acura, Alpine and Genesis in their upcoming WEC program.
Explaining his decision to work with Oreka, Farley said:
“It’s enough from all the other things that are immeasurable in relations, dedication, what happens when we don’t go well. What happens when you make an incorrect technical bet?
“There are so many more things besides scientific techniques, technical ones. It’s all been shown over the years, the flexibility and spirit of victory and commitment.”
Multimatic has long-standing relationships with Ford and helped develop the new Mustang GT3. It competes in both the IMSA Sports Car Championship and WEC’s LMGT3 class.
Multimatic also serves as a factory team for Ford in IMSA’s GTD Pro Division, running a pair of Mustang GT3s.
We were asked if the LMP2 car was a difficult decision to choose ORECA over the multimatic that serves as the basis for the Porsche 963. “We made the best decision for the company,” Farley said.
Heading towards the road, the Ford Mustang is famous for its V8 engine that can stir 480bhp. The car’s GT3 variant is powered by a 5.4-liter naturally aspirated Ford Coyote-based V8, developed jointly by Ford Performance and M-Sport.
However, Farley is not drawn on the power unit that Ford uses in his new prototype racer.
“That’s a great question,” he said. “I’m not going to say what the powertrain will be. We’re an American company.”