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Ford Mustang GTD Competition sets Nürburgring lap record for American street-legal cars

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Ford Mustang GTD Competition Shatters Nürburgring Record

The Ford Mustang GTD Competition has set a new benchmark for American production cars at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, recording a blistering lap time of 6 minutes and 40.835 seconds.

This new record is more than 8 seconds faster than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X's time of 6 minutes and 49.275 seconds.

Driven by Ford Performance and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller, the lap represents a significant leap forward. The time is 11 seconds faster than the previous best lap set by a standard Mustang GTD.

The Record-Breaking Vehicle

The Mustang GTD Competition is a purpose-built evolution of the standard road car. At its heart is a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine producing more than 815 horsepower.

Significant weight reduction measures were key to its performance. These include magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats, and lighter dampers. For reference, the standard Mustang GTD weighs 4,404 pounds (1,998 kilograms).

Aerodynamics were also heavily revised, featuring:

  • An updated rear wing
  • Additional front dive planes
  • Rear carbon-fiber aero discs

The car also utilized newly developed tires to maximize grip on the demanding circuit.

The Road to the Record

Ford's pursuit of the Nürburgring record has been a focused effort:

  • 2024: The Mustang GTD first set a record for American production cars with a time of 6 minutes and 57.685 seconds.
  • 2025: Ford improved this time to 6 minutes and 52.072 seconds.
  • Recent Competition: Chevrolet raised the bar with the Corvette ZR1 (6:50.763) and the track-focused ZR1X (6:49.275).

Ford CEO Jim Farley's simple response to Chevrolet's times was "game on." Following this new record, Ford has reopened the application window for the regular, street-legal Mustang GTD.

The Broader Record Landscape

While the Mustang GTD Competition now leads the production car category, other notable records at the Nürburgring include:

  • Fastest Track-Only American Car: Ford GT Mk IV (6 minutes and 15.977 seconds)
  • Overall Production Car Record: Mercedes-AMG One (6 minutes and 29.09 seconds)

Production and Pricing

Ford announced it will produce a limited, serialized street-legal version of the Mustang GTD Competition. Pricing for this new model has not been disclosed.

For context, the regular Mustang GTD has a starting price of $327,960, while the rival Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X starts at $223,195.