WATCH: Ford Mustang GTD's Sub-7-Minute Nürburgring Lap Time Beaten—By the Mustang GTD
Going where no American manufacturer has gone before?
If the slow drip of Ford Mustang GTD news is starting to feel drawn out—the ultra-high-performance, ultra-expensive Mustang was revealed last year and still isn't on sale—we have some bad news: It continues. The most recent tidbit Ford's momma-birded into our hungry little mouths? That'd be the GTD's Nürburgring lap time, though unlike the car, we actually have the lap available to us—plus the in-car video below. But we have an update: That was only the car's first televised lap time. Ford, convinced it could do better, went back to the 'Ring—and nailed an even better time.
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For its first effort, above, Ford sent a small army including development engineers, drivers, and CEO Jim Farley to the “Green Hell”—aka the Nürburgring—all to hunt for the illusive sub-seven-minute lap time coveted by performance car manufacturers the world over. Well, it looks like the high-strung ‘stang officially met that lofty goal, clicking off a lap time of 6:57:685 with Ford factory driver Dirk Müller in the pilot’s seat. You can watch his view of that lap below:
For the uninitiated, that is a very quick lap. Counting the Mustang GTD, only six vehicles in the Production Sports Car class have ever accomplished a sub-seven-minute lap at the ‘ring. Of those six the Mustang GTD is the fifth fastest, and only American. For reference, the current Chevrolet Corvette Z06’s ‘ring time is 7:10:52 so the GTD beat the ‘Vette by over 13 seconds which is an eternity in motorsports. Ford also beat Chevrolet in regard to being the first North American auto manufacturer to breach the rare sub-seven-minute air.
Ford documented the accomplishment with a 14-minute documentary called “Road to the ‘Ring” that you can watch here. The documentary doesn’t feature the full un-cut lap, but now we have the second attempt, where the GTD knocks over five seconds off its first time, for a blistering 6:52.072 run.
Given the GTD's setup, we can’t say that we’re entirely surprised that Ford pulled off its goal, then later beat it again. The Mustang is essentially a GT3 race car, with an inboard laydown rear suspension, adjustable ride height, far wider track than regular Mustangs, and active aerodynamics—all powered by an 800-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 paired with a rear-mounted dual-clutch automatic transaxle. It’s a recipe for a blistering fast car and now it has the crown as the fastest North American production sports car around the ‘ring. We’re waiting with bated breath for Chevrolet to respond with the Corvette ZR1.
This story was originally published December 2024, but has since been updated to reflect Ford's second documented attempt at setting a Nürburgring lap time in the Mustang GTD.
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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