Ford stepped up to the GTP class of the IMSA series with the Mustang GTP in the mid-80s. Powered by a turbo-charged 1.7 Liter 4 cylinder engine tuned by Zakspeed, the Mustang was dogged by reliability issues throughout its career, managing only 1 win at Road Altanta in its first season. The car was very quick despite going against the norm - the engine was mouted at the front of the car at a time where most GTP cars had the engine in the rear. Having the engine in the front allowed for even larger underbody venturi tunnels that drastically improved downforce and overall handling.

Ford lost interest in the Mustang after only a few years, and redesigned a more traditional rear-engined GTP car, the Probe. Not learning lessons taught by the Mustang, Ford and Zakspeed went with virtually the same engine package, ending up with virtually the same reliability issues.

This kit turned out alright despite all the issues I had with the paint and decals. The blue was incredibly hard to match, and I ended up brush-painting the blue and sanding and buffing the hell out of it. It's amazing the blue actually turned out with few visible brush strokes and waves.