A new champion has emerged at Nurburgring, boasting American origins, and it just outperformed a plethora of international high-caliber vehicles on the crucial track.
On Friday, Ford revealed that the Mustang GTD Competition has recorded a Nurburgring lap time of 6:40.835. To clarify, that’s among the quickest times for any street-legal vehicle that money can purchase, only surpassed by the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hypercar, which utilizes a Formula 1 engine.
For those tracking, the Mercedes-Benz AMG One’s ‘Ring time is 6:29.090.
More crucially, the Mustang GTD Competition has absolutely decimated the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s ‘Ring time of 6:50.763 as well as the ZR1X’s time of 6:49.275.
If you’re questioning how the Mustang GTD Competition managed to slice 11.237 seconds off the Mustang GTD’s ‘Ring time of 6:52.072, or what the Mustang GTD Competition actually entails, you’re not the only one.
Ford announced, “The new Mustang GTD Competition will eventually be available as a special edition, street-legal model produced in strictly limited, numbered quantities.” The exact number and price remain ambiguous. In fact, details about the tires it utilizes are still not confirmed.
What we do know is the Mustang GTD Competition exceeds the 815 horsepower of the standard Mustang GTD. Ford indicated there’s enhanced hardware and tuning, though it’s open to interpretation whether this includes a physically larger supercharger, increased boost, or what precisely has been adjusted to achieve the additional power.
Modifications to the rear wing DRS system have been confirmed, along with secondary dive planes affixed to the front bumper. Additionally, carbon fiber aero discs are now present on the rear wheels.
Regarding wheels, Ford has worked on reducing weight across the vehicle, incorporating new magnesium wheels, fresh carbon fiber bucket seats, a lighter damper configuration, and “further measures that assist in weight reduction.”
All changes culminated in the Mustang GTD Competition, which is now faster around the ‘Ring than any Corvette, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit with its 6:43.300 lap, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR with its 6:44.749 lap, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Black Series’ 6:48.047 lap, and, of course, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a ‘Ring time of 6:49.328. The last one was the initial aim when this all began.
Remarkably, the Ford Mustang GTD was the first American sports vehicle to breach the sub-7-minute threshold around the ‘Ring. Ford then shattered its own time by 5.5 seconds, which is no minor achievement. However, Chevy intervened by surpassing the Mustang GTD not just once, but twice, with the Corvette ZR1 and Corvette ZR1X.
Ford CEO Jim Farley took this personally. He congratulated Team Chevy and promptly stated, “Game on.” Clearly, he was determined.
In October, Team Ford appeared at the ‘Ring and commenced testing a modified Mustang GTD. Numerous videos surfaced in March featuring the Mustang GTD clearly attacking the ‘Ring in an attempt for a record, with videos indicating the car running a 6:41.74. History now shows that these videos, which acknowledged they might be a second off due to not being able to see the start and finish lines, were quite accurate.
The Mustang GTD Competition now resides in elite company alongside the Ford GT Mk IV, which is now the third fastest car at the ‘Ring that is available for purchase.
We’ll wait to see if Team Chevy or Porsche counter.
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