The race-bred Ford Mustang GTD is the first American-built car to complete a lap in under seven minutes around the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife. Rather bravely, Ford Motor Company publicised it’s lap-time attempt with a series of teaser videos. And as we learnt from the McLaren P1 a decade ago – which did the same but never actually attained its goal lap time – putting yourself out there can be mad scary.
FORD MUSTANG GTD
The 600 kW supercharged Ford Mustang GTD is the ultimate iteration of the current-generation pony car. We drove the V8 GT version recently at its South African launch. The GTD’s development has been coordinated by Multimatic Motorsports. A team that runs GT3 racing Mustangs all around the world, with Dirk Müller the driver for the milestone attempt.
As shown in the high-quality production – ‘The Road to the Ring’ – it lapped the proving ground in a certified 6:57:685. It’s the fifth-fastest time ever by a stock production sports car. And it is only the sixth vehicle to break the seven-minute barrier. Moreover, the performance delivers on an ambitious goal laid out by Ford Motor Company President and CEO Jim Farley back in August 2023.
FORD’S SUPERCAR
“The team behind the Ford Mustang GTD took what we’ve learned from decades on the track. They engineered a Mustang to compete with the world’s best supercars. We’re proud to be the first American carmaker with a sub-seven-minute lap, but we aren’t satisfied. We know there’s even more time to find with the Ford Mustang GTD,” said Farley.
The vehicle’s success is down to the tireless work of a small, dedicated team of engineers and designers who worked for two years to turn the Mustang GT3 race car into the Blue Oval’s first-ever Mustang supercar. The behind-the-scenes look at the testing of Ford Mustang GTD journeys from iconic American tracks like Sebring, through to development sessions at the ‘ring. It features Farley, Muller, Multimatic Chief Technical Officer Larry Holt, Mustang GTD Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall, Mustang GTD Design Manager Anthony Colard and others.
BREAKS ALL THE RULES
Interestingly, while the Ford Mustang GTD starts off from the GT3 racing car as a baseline, it isn’t subject to any of the rules that regulate GT3 racing. Therefore, the GTD is in many ways more unhinged than even the GT3 race car. Performance additions to the ultimate Mustang include carbon-ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics and semi-active suspension. Plus the motorsports-derived safety gear mandated by the Nurburgring like a competition racing seat with five-point harness and a fully integrated roll cage.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF FORD’S SUPER STANG?
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