Ford Mustang GTD laps Nordschleife in under 7 minutes

Ford Motor Company’s CEO Jim Farley wanted to come up with a car that would challenge the Aston Martins, the Porsche GT3s, and the Mercedes-AMGs of the supercar world with the Mustang GTD.

After a lengthy development phase, the track-focused Mustang was put to the test at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife. And guess what, the GTD is now hot on the heels of its European supercar rivals - it has reached its target of posting a sub 7-minute lap time on the Green Hell.

The Ford Mustang GTD in the hands of Dirk Müller clocked in at 6:57.685 – making Ford the first American brand to break the 7-minute barrier of the 20.832 km long circuit. It’s still behind the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, but the sub 7-minute laptime is already an achievement on its own.

Ford basically threw in most of the motorsport bits and pieces from the Mustang GT3 race car to the GT3, and then some. Carbon fiber was extensively used to shed weight, as well as hydraulically-controlled aero devices to boost downforce and create the most extreme Mustang yet.

The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 from the Dark Horse was upsized to 5.2-liters to produce 815 horsepower, with an 8-speed dual clutch transaxle gearbox to reach the perfect 50:50 weight distribution.

Apart from the active aero, the Mustang GTD also rides on a semi-active suspension from Multimatic with adjustable spring rates, ride height, and adaptive spool valve dampers. Stopping power is brought by carbon ceramic brakes made by Brembo.

The Mustang GTD is set to go on sale by 2025 with an estimate SRP of around USD 300,000. But before that, Ford CEO Jim Farley thinks the Mustang supercar can still eke out a faster lap time so expect them to be back at the Nordschleife for another record attempt.