► Ford Mustang GTD laps Nurburgring in under seven minutes
► Fastest American car to lap Nordschleife
► Active aero, race-spec engineering
The Ford Mustang GTD has set a Nurburgring Nordschleife record for an American car with a time of 6:57:66.
Designed to topple European sports cars ‘on their own soil’, according to Ford, the Mustang GTD – a road-legal version of the brand’s new Mustang GT3 car – is now the fifth fastest stock sports car to lap the circuit. It also achieves the mission of Ford CEO Jim Farley of having an American car lap the Nurburgring in less than seven minutes.
Driven by Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller to set an officially recorded Nurburgring time, Ford says it ‘will be back’ to shave more time off the time.
Jim Farley said: “The team behind Mustang GTD took what we’ve learned from decades on the track and engineered a Mustang that can compete with the world’s best supercar.
“We’re proud to be the first American automaker with a car that can lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes, but we aren’t satisfied. We know there’s much more time to find with Mustang GTD. We’ll be back.”
Ahead of the ‘Mustang GTD in the lap time leaderboard are cars such as the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. The Mercedes-AMG One holds the overall road car record with a time of 6:35:18.
Read on to find out more about Ford’s skunkworks Mustang GTD.
GTD? Sounds like a diesel…
If you’re from Europe, those three letters might mean something else entirely. But, in the case of the Mustang, GTD is an entirely motorsport-derived title. As well as links to the Mustang GT3 and GT4, the name refers to the IMSA GTD racing class.
And it’s no diesel under the bonnet, either. Here, the Mustang GTD uses a bespoke 804bhp 5.2-litre supercharged V8 with a dry sump engine oil system, a 7500rpm redline and an active titanium exhaust so you hear every single bit of it roar.
All of that power is sent to the rears via an eight-speed transaxle gearbox that also deploys a carbonfibre driveshaft to maintain a 50/50 front/rear weight balance. The GTD uses 20-inch forged aluminium wheels (magnesium ones are available) and huge Brembo carbon ceramic brakes are standard.
It uses race-illegal engineering! Like what?
Some elements of the active aerodynamics, for a start. Chief engineer, Greg Goodall, says: ‘an available aero package includes features pioneered in motorsports, as well as technology that would be illegal in certain series, such as hydraulically-controlled front flaps to manage air flow for aerodynamic balance and coordination with the active rear wing.’
And active, it seems, is the word of the day. As well as active aerodynamics, the GTD uses active suspension with variable spring rates and ride height – again, according to Holt, not allowed in racing. ‘We did some radical things,’ he says, ‘it’s got in-board suspension like a lot of prototype race cars – you press a button and 10 seconds later you’ve got a completely different characteristic on the car. The GTD showcases our state-of-the-art DSSV spool valve suspension technology, with features not even allowed in racing.’ For example, when in Track mode, the ride height can lower by 40mm.
Elsewhere, Ford says it uses some clever bits in the GTD’s interior including Miko suede in the seat upholstery and 3D-printed titanium paddle shifters that are recycled from retired F22 Raptors.
I want one!
You better have deep pockets, and already be a friend of Ford. Jim Owens, the Mustang’s consumer marketing manager, says that the Mustang GTD will be a limited-run model, and the brand will use an application process ‘similar to that of the Ford GT’ to discern who gets one.
The GTD will come to the UK, albeit in very limited numbers, and with prices starting from an eye-watering £315,000.