Ford Mustang GT4 racer revealed at SEMA 2016

The world's maddest Mustang has just been unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, with Ford tearing the covers off a turn-key GT4 race version of its iconic Pony car.

Ford could be back stalking Mount Panorama sooner than we'd imagined following the unveiling of the mad-house Mustang GT4 at SEMA overnight. 

Based on the 392kW and 582Nm Shelby GT350R-C, Ford's new turn-key race car eschews the Mustang's 5.0-litre donk in favour of a 5.2-litre, flat-plane-crankshaft V8 engine paired with a Holinger-sourced six-speed, sequential transmission complete with wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

And being a factory-produced race solution, the Mustang GT4 is ready to race in any global GT4 event, including the Bathurst 12-Hour, which will return to Mount Panorama in February next year. It will also be eligible for the lower class of the Australian GT Championship. 

GT4 is also two classes below the GTE Pro class contested by the factory racing version of the Ford GT Supercar that came first, third, fourth and ninth on debut at the Le Mans 24 Hour in June.

The new Mustang is a global vehicle.

According to Ford, the all-new Mustang GT4 has a modified chassis, compliments of international race outfit Multimatic Motorsports, which includes new dampers, lower rear control arms and stabiliser bars. The underbody work is paired with a new suite of aerodynamic technology, including a new rear wing, splitter, rear diffuser and more bonnet venting.

Inside, a racing roll cage arrives as standard kit, along with an anti-lock braking control, race-ready engine controls and a data logger. Shifting all that power to the tarmac is aided by a set of gigantic 18-by-11-inch wheels fitted with racing slicks as standard.

"The new Mustang is a global vehicle," says Mark Rushbrook, Ford's US motorsport engineering manager.

"Now its growing fan base has a GT4 competition model to race and support around the globe."

The Mustang GT4 is eligible to compete in any global GT4 category, including US events or the the European GT4 competition. It joins illustrious company, with several manufacturers also unveiling ready-to-race GT4 weapons, including Mercedes and BMW.

Official order books open December 1st, with Ford US hinting at a price point on-par with similar factory-produced GT4 cars, which could see the Mustang priced somewhere above US$150k.

Ford Australia is yet to confirm whether the race-ready Mustang will be available to order locally, with a spokesperson telling CarsGuide.com.au: "We plan more exciting performance models in the future, yet don't have anything to announce at this point."

Would you like to see a Mustang GT4 on Australian racetracks? Tell us what you think in the comments below.