Mustang GTD 6:57:685 Nurburgring Run: Making Porsche Sweat
Mustang GTD Green Hell runtime is not just a major win for Ford, but also a serious challenge to Porsche’s focus on electrification.
Ford loves to be first at things–first to make a “3-Valve” V8, the first American carmaker to develop a DOHC V8, even the first to make moving assembly lines for car manufacturing.
Now? They’ve done the unthinkable and became the first American car company to run a sub seven-minute Nurburgring lap time with a stock production car.
However, it’s more than that. With the help of Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller, this feat puts the GTD in a number of other unique positions, too.
Road to the Ring, a 13-minute documentary now airing worldwide, highlights the challenges the Mustang GTD team overcame to achieve this unicorn lap at the Nürburgring.
Matching Hypercars–No AWD, No Electrification.
The GTD’s Green Hell record is literally door-to-door with some of the world’s fastest hypercars on the Nordschlife. Within milliseconds, that is.
Ford nearly matched the Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach, which completed it at exactly 6:57:00 minutes–and with considerably less horsepower (GTD 815 HP vs 918 Spyder’s 887 HP).
Granted, the German hypercar is older, and also somewhat heavier at 3,615 pounds versus the GTD’s 3,268 pounds, depsite them both having all-carbon fiber bodies. It’s also worth noting that the 918 (with electric motors engaged) also makes considerably more torque at 944 lbs.-ft.
It also beat the Ferrari 296 GTB (6:58.70), beat the Porsche GT3 992’s initial run (6:59.93), and even walked into the Porsche GT3 RS 991.2’s backyard (6:56.4).
Supercar Bully
The best part about all of this, is that the GTD uses a RWD configuration to do it all. Backed by a cantilever-style suspension and arguably more effective aero compared to the 918, Ferrari 296 GTB, or 911 GT3 RS.
So, maybe that $300K tag on the Mustang GTD is justified after all. With the obvious exception of the 918, the cars it just beat are just north of that price point in today’s market.
GTD: A Born Segment Leader
The Mustang just keeps shattering records, and Ford knows exactly the recipe to keep winning both on the strip and the road.
According to the Nürburgring’s official records, the Mustang GTD August 7 lap at the Nürburgring makes it only the sixth vehicle in the “Production Sports Car” class to break the sub-seven-minute barrier at 6:57:685. And its runtime is the fifth-fastest in that segment to date.
The Mustang GTD features carbon-ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics, a supercharger, and semi-active suspension. Its carbon-fiber body, inspired by GT3 racing, is paired with motorsports-grade safety equipment required by the Nürburgring.
Otherwise, it is 100 percent stock.
Not Finished Yet
No doubt, the final time is impressive, but we can’t blame Ford for wanting to do more. Bearing “Grand Touring Daytona” in a car’s name carries with it a lot of racing prestige.
“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 supercars,” said Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO, in a recent press statement. “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.”
And, given its hypercar-rivaling performance on its first run, you can bet they are going to shoot for the moon next time around. But for now, Ford once again has major bragging rights out of The Big Three, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
Photos: Ford
Join the Mustang Source Forums now!
You must be logged in to post a comment.