Ford Mustangs will race in next year's Supercars championship after being given the green light to compete in Australia's premier motorsport category.
The iconic muscle car has passed aerodynamic testing and will line up on the grid starting at the Adelaide 500 from February 28.
The two-door coupe will replace the Ford Falcon sedans which have become synonymous with the championship since first appearing at Bathurst in 1967.
Supercars aerodynamic testing is undertaken to ensure parity between the three models of car competing in the championship - the Mustang, Holden's ZB Commodore and Nissan's Altima.
Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer said the Mustang passing after nine days of testing was a key moment for the championship's future.
"This is the final step in seeing the iconic Ford Mustang back on Australian race circuits and we can't wait to see it in its full glory at the Adelaide 500 next year," Seamer said.
"DJR Team Penske, Tickford Racing and Ford Performance have done an outstanding job to build a Supercar which will no doubt continue Ford's successes of this year."
Newly-crowned series champion Scott McLaughlin will be among those who will compete in the Mustang in 2019 and his DJR Team Penske outfit has played a key role in developing the race-going version of the car.
"The Mustang project has now been ongoing for over 18 months, so getting the tick of approval through the VCAT testing process is a great milestone," Penske managing director Ryan Story said.
"That is only step one for us, however, as we must now get the race cars built and ready to perform for the 2019 season."
