This is the fastest street-legal US car at Nurburgring
What's the story
The Ford Mustang GTD Competition has set a new benchmark as the fastest street-legal US car at the Nurburgring. The vehicle completed the grueling German track in just six minutes and 40.835 seconds, beating its own lap time by an impressive 11 seconds. The new record is also more than eight seconds faster than Chevrolet's Corvette ZR1X, which previously held the title.
Record evolution
Ford 1st set the record in 2024
The Mustang GTD first made its mark as the fastest American production car at Nurburgring in 2024, with a lap time of 6:57.685. It beat Dodge Viper ACR by 4.3 seconds and became the first US car to go under seven minutes. Ford later returned to improve this record by over five seconds, clocking a time of 6:52.072 on the same track last year.
Competitive spirit
Chevrolet's Corvette ZR1X then took the crown
Chevrolet then stole the limelight with its ZR1 and ZR1X models, both of which were faster than the Mustang GTD. The Corvette ZR1 finished in 6:50.763 while the ZR1X clocked an impressive 6:49.275. In response to this challenge, Ford CEO Jim Farley promised a comeback from his team at the Nurburgring race track.
Enhanced performance
A look at Mustang GTD Competition
The record-breaking lap was not done in the same car but a highly modified version called the Mustang GTD Competition. This extreme variant features an upgraded supercharged, 5.2-liter V8 engine with more power than the standard model's 815hp output. Ford has also added magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats, and lighter dampers to cut weight from this beast of a machine.
Design upgrades
It features a host of aerodynamic upgrades
The body of the Mustang GTD Competition has been modified to improve its aerodynamic performance, including an updated rear wing. Additional front dive planes and rear carbon-fiber aero disks increase downforce, keeping the vehicle glued to the road on newly developed tires that deliver better grip. The record-breaking run was driven by Ford Performance and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Muller.
Market release
Production version of Mustang GTD Competition will be available
A street-legal production version of the Mustang GTD Competition with all these upgrades will be released in "strictly limited, serialized quantities." The price is yet to be announced but it is expected to be higher than the standard Mustang GTD's $327,960 price tag. Meanwhile, Ford has reopened applications for the standard Mustang GTD and plans to launch the hotter Competition version at a later date.