After becoming the first car from an American brand to break the 7-minute barrier at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Mustang GTD has shattered its own record with a new 6:40.835 lap time.
With this achievement, Ford now claims the two fastest Nürburgring lap times of any American brand, including the Ford GT Mk IV.
Driven once again by Ford Racing and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller, the Mustang GTD Competition secured the sixth fastest time on the Nürburgring Pre-Production / Prototype Class leaderboard.
Proving just how capable the Mustang GTD Competition is, Ford Racing engineer Steve Thompson also piloted the GTD Competition to a time of 6:49.337 around the Nürburgring – faster than Müller’s original record. Thompson has modest driving experience at the "Green Hell," having cumulatively driven the Nürburgring fewer than 40 laps.
Roaring around the ‘Ring, the new Ford Mustang GTD Competition model is the pinnacle of both the Mustang GTD lineup and Mustang sports car performance.
“When we said, 'Game On,' we meant it,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company. “Mustang GTD was always meant to bridge the worlds between GT3 race cars and street-legal supercars, and the GTD Competition takes this to the next level to continue keeping Europe’s elite up at night.”
Driven once again by Ford Racing and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller, the Mustang GTD Competition secures the sixth fastest time on the Nürburgring Pre-Production / Prototype Class leaderboard. “
The Nürburgring proves that our motorsport lessons don't stay on the track—they are engineered directly into our road cars,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Racing. “Our racing engineers compete to make Ford vehicles better. For us, every ground is our proving ground.”
To shave more than 11 seconds o Mustang GTD’s previous 6:52.072 Nürburgring Production Class benchmark, the team relentlessly focused on three key areas:
- More Power: Hardware updates and aggressive tuning push Mustang GTD Competition’s supercharged 5.2-liter V8 to a targeted engine output beyond the original Mustang GTD’s 815 horsepower
- Advanced Aerodynamics: Building on the existing Drag Reduction System (DRS), the Mustang GTD Competition adds rear wing modifications, secondary front dive planes, and rear carbon fiber aero discs to increase total downforce without sacrificing efficiency or aero balance
- Increased Grip: New high-performance tires
- Weight Reduction: New magnesium wheels, new carbon bucket seats, lighter damper system and additional actions help reduce weight
The Human Element Behind The Lap
But the stopwatch only tells half the story. The 6:40.8 lap is a testament to the technical wizardry and focused willpower of the Ford Racing Mustang GTD team.
Mission accomplished was not simply a result of better hardware; it was the product of a team that refused to compromise, driven by the dedication of engineers Peter Kuechler, Sam Ashtiani, and Steve Thompson, among others.
“You don’t run a 6:40 at the Nürburgring on hardware alone,” said Rushbrook. “The GTD Competition is the direct result of pouring our hardest-learned motorsport lessons into a street car, backed by a team of engineers who sacrificed their nights and holidays to squeeze out every possible millisecond.”
Proving just how capable the Mustang GTD Competition is, Ford Racing engineer Steve Thompson also piloted the GTD Competition to a time of 6:49.337 around the Nürburgring – faster than Müller’s original record. Thompson has modest driving experience at the 'Green Hell, having cumulatively driven the Nürburgring fewer than 40 laps.
“The Mustang GTD Competition is more than a world-class supercar. It is the embodiment of our team using all of its experience to get every detail just right,” said Farley. “They are as good as it gets, and the 6:40.8 time proves it to the world.”
Mustang GTD Applications Reopening
Recognizing the exclusivity of this achievement, the GTD Competition will only be o ered in the future as a special edition, street legal model available in strictly limited, serialized quantities.
To celebrate this historic feat and the 62nd birthday of the Mustang, Ford is reopening the application window today for North American customers who want an opportunity to buy the most advanced and powerful street-legal Mustang ever assembled.
