Photo courtesy of Ford Performance.

During the Mustang’s S197 era, Ford Racing, which is now called Ford Performance, released competition models aimed at going straight to the race track. With the latest GT350R, history is repeating itself with today’s announcement that there will be a GT350R-C built for IMSA competition, and the car’s first race will be this weekend at the legendary track Watkins Glen.

A combined effort with Multimatic Motorsports, the GT350R-C will feature the production 500-horsepower, 5.2-liter flat-plane crank engine, but with a revised version of the GT350R’s fully-independent suspension. However, the R-C will boast race-oriented spring rates and anti-roll bars, a lowered ride height, full-race alignment setup, revised bushings, and cross-axis ball joints up front.

The GT350R debuted in January, and the GT350R-C is a full-race version of the R car. Obviously, the R-C is void of any kind of creature comforts, and fully-prepped as a race car.

“Like so many Mustangs before it, the GT350R is a car born to race,” said Dave Pericak, director, Global Ford Performance. “We’re taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we’re ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world.”

“Ford is committed to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and we’re happy to be campaigning its product here,” said Larry Holt, team principal, Multimatic Motorsports. “We like the endurance format, and the racing is always intense,” Holt added.

“Mustang has earned icon status through its racing heritage going back to the competition Mustangs of the 1960s, and this new race car will undoubtedly add to the legend,” said Scott Atherton, president of IMSA.

Multimatic will manage the GT350R-C team, and for the Watkins Glen debut the car will feature drivers Billy Johnson, Scott Maxwell, Austin Cindric, and Jade Buford.