Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn announced plans to open the Mustang Experience Center at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina next year.
The new attraction is envisioned to be the destination for all things Mustang, be it driving on the track, purchasing merchandise, or learning about the six-decade history of Mustang.
“Mustang has always been about more than just the car,” says Matt Simpson, general manager for Ford enthusiast vehicles. “It’s the experiences that come with it, from road trips to track days to cars and coffee.
“The Mustang Experience Center is poised to become a special gathering place for the Mustang community, weaving the spirit of the car and Charlotte Motor Speedway together to create new memories.”
The Mustang Experience Center will feature a Ford Heritage Gallery to celebrate all 60 years of Mustang history, an aftermarket parts shop, a retail store for Mustang merchandise, and conference space for corporate events.
Spanning nearly 2,000 acres, the Charlotte Motor Speedway boasts a 2.25-mile road course and a quarter-mile oval nestled within its 1.5-mile superspeedway. The speedway also offers a four-tenths clay oval, the renowned four-wide zMAX Dragway, and a new 1.7-mile road course set to open this quarter.
The addition of the Mustang Experience Center also is driving an expansion of hands-on track instruction at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ford Performance Racing School’s Mustang Unleashed, a new program for Mustang EcoBoost and GT, builds on the Dark Horse Track Attack program.
The Mustang Experience Center joins other Ford owner experiences like F-150 and Ranger Raptor Assault School and Bronco Off-Roadeo; the latter activity was recently opened to non-owners.
In related Mustang 60th anniversary news, the automaker is making 1,965 Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Packages available to buyers of the new Mustang GT Premium with 5.0-liter V-8 engine, on both coupe and convertible models with either manual or automatic transmissions.
The Ford Mustang 60th Anniversary Package features a unique dash plaque and exclusive exterior features that create a special look and feel that brings classic accents of the original car that debuted in 1964 into the modern era, according to Ford.
“The design was directly inspired by the clean silhouette of the original car,” says Stefan Taylor, senior designer on Mustang. “During the design process, we looked closely at the finely detailed elements of the 1965 Mustang, like the fender badges and wheel center caps. Our focus was capturing the feel of the ‘65, while also staying true to the Mustang as the modern sports car that it is.”
Among the unique features of the 60th Anniversary Mustang Package are:
- Unique 20-inch wheels finished in Dark Gravity Gray with bright machined details featuring a Vermillion Red, retro-themed stamped aluminum center cap inspired by the 1965 Mustang center caps.
- Exclusive side graphics, which can be optioned in either Iconic Silver or Vermillion Red and are reminiscent of Mustang’s original rocker panel stripes.
- New grille with a unique mesh design as a callback to the 1964 original made modern with silver-accented nostrils that also are functional air intakes for the 5.0-liter V-8.
- Smoked housing of standard Mustang Nite Pony headlights allows silver-accented nostrils to stand out.
Exterior color available include Wimbledon White, modern Race Red, and Vapor Blue. Interior color options include Space Gray, Carmine Red, or Black Onyx.
Ford also will be celebrating Mustang’s 60th anniversary on the track this racing season with the Champion Spirit Livery on the Mustang GT3 IMSA factory race cars.
The paint scheme honors eight of the most iconic Mustang sports car racers — and their liveries — of the past 60 years.
“The designers adopted an artistic approach to blend different designs, creating a new livery that pays tribute to Mustang’s racing legacy while highlighting the Mustang GT3’s power,” says Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorspsorts. “Each historic livery is depicted as battle-worn, layered into the Mustang GT3’s design, signifying its deep-rooted spirit. Every major race win and championship has propelled Mustang forward, and we believe this Champion Spirit will drive Mustang to future victories.”
The paint scheme will debut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (May 10-12) before moving on to the home race at the Detroit Grand Prix (May 31-June 1). The teams will continue to sport this special livery before returning to their traditional full-season livery at Watkins Glen (June 20-23).
