The interior, though, is not. So long as you don’t look behind you. It’s mostly Mustang, which has disappointed some commentators, but I’m fine with it, because it on one hand serves as a reminder that the GTD is a made-over everyman’s car and on the other that this is a fine everyday interior.
It has a sound driving position with new, supportive but not stupid Recaro seats and a near-round steering wheel with sensible actual buttons. And while I’d prefer it if the heating controls weren’t on a touchscreen, I’m not about to complain about it too much on a car like this.
Besides, there’s a bit of carbonfibre here and there to inject some interest and they tell me the gearshift paddles are made of titanium from a retired F-22 Raptor fighter jet.
Ford says the GTD is a track-focused machine. It’s just three seconds slower around the Nordschleife than a 911 GT3 RS, after all (6min 52sec, if you’re asking) – but look, they also say it’s the most extreme Mustang to wear numberplates.
And given it’s road-legal, that’s where my primary interest lies. I have a day and one of the largest countries on earth to play in, so that’s what I’ll be exploring, east and south from Palm Springs.
There used to be a misconception, now I think mostly dispelled, that American roads were all straight and boring. I mean, a lot of them are – they’ve got more than 3.5 million square miles to cross – but very many of them are also not.
