History Lesson: Watch Ford Go Racing With the Turbo-Four Mustang GTP

Most people remember the SVO turbo-four Mustang. But did you know Ford went racing with one? 

Today, the Ford Mustang with the EcoBoost four-cylinder is the entry-level pony car. Ford has a history with turbo fours starting as far back as 1984 with the SVO. But the idea of a four-cylinder Mustang with a turbo actually came from racing. In 1982, Ford was looking to go racing in the IMSA GTP prototype class. In an effort to promote smaller engines, the brand made the decision to run a turbo four in the new race car. Roush and Zakspeed came together on the new project to put a Ford Mustang GTP on the podium for all the world to see.

In 1983, Ford was about to launch the SVO Mustang with a turbocharged four-cylinder. In an effort to promote the new engine for the pony car, Ford Racing built the Mustang GTP.

It had a wild carbon fiber body with a front mid-engine design. This radical layout gave designers excellent opportunities to experiment with aerodynamics. Under the hood was a 1.7-liter turbo four making close to 600 horsepower. The streamlined design didn’t resemble a Mustang, but it bared the Mustang name. Its success was all that mattered.

YouTube user (and racing authority) Marshall Pruett posts a documentary of the Mustang GTP’s first race in 1983. The race was at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The GTP was completely unproven yet won its class by two laps. The second GTP came in second in its class and third overall. This amazing success was the high point for the program, as the high strung engines eventually developed reliability issues. So, check out the video and let us know what you think about the criminally forgotten Mustang GTP.