The Ford Mustang GT3 race car is a serious performance machine but it doesn’t start out that way. In the journey from street legal shell to the track a great many changes happen. In this short video, Ford outlines the details it has to get right to ensure that the Mustang GT3 goes to the grid with optimal aerodynamics.

Part one of this docu-series dealt with the beginning stages of development. Part two saw Ford Performance and Multimatic craft the beating heart of the Mustang GT3, a V8 built to withstand a beating. Now, the two companies are talking about downforce, braking, and finding the right balance on the track.

Early on here we get a quick look at what a Mustang GT3 looks like when Ford Performance and Multimatic finally get rid of the street legal street metal that won’t end up on the track. To put it simply, this car ends up being little more than a cabin space. Then, the two companies go to the work of fitting it with FIA-approved parts and pieces that will enable it to stay competitive and safe.

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Once the body is complete the team almost immediately needs to change parts and pieces that end up having issues on the track. As Aerodynamicist Bernie Marcus points out, rapid prototyping makes the job easier since the team can create new parts literally overnight. That comes in key too when the team takes the car to a wind tunnel.

In fact, different wind tunnels can provide dramatically different results and thus insights that the team can use to improve downforce and speed on the track. Aerodynamics plays a big role in the braking system too though and the team says it went through 22 different braking component packages to find the right mix. As all of this is going on, different specialized teams are working on different pieces of the race car.

Watching the group work together is a great reminder of just how intense building a real functional race car can be. The finished Mustang GT3 will sit on the grid at Daytona for its debut on January 27th.