Ford Mustang GTD Was Fastest American Car At Nürburgring With 6:40 Lap

The Mustang GTD became the fastest American production car at the Nürburgring in 2024, rounding the challenging German track in 6 minutes 57.685 seconds. It beat the Dodge Viper ACR by 4.3 seconds, becoming the first car from America to run under seven minutes. Not satisfied with the results, Ford returned to the Green Hell last year by shaving off more than five seconds, completing the course in 6 minutes and 52.072 seconds.

But it wasn’t long before Chevrolet kicked off Ford’s party, stealing the show with the ZR1 and ZR1X, both of which were quicker than the ultimate ‘Stang. Meanwhile, the Corvette ZR1 crossed the finish line in 6 minutes 50.763 seconds, while the ZR1X recorded a time of 6 minutes 49.275 seconds. Upon hearing the news, Ford suggested they take revenge, and CEO Jim Farley told the Corvette team that they were “game on.”

Fast forward to 2026, Ford has now reclaimed the title of Lord of the ‘Ring among American cars with an insane lap time of 6 minutes and 40.835 seconds. Not only is it 11 seconds faster than the previous best-performing Mustang GTD, but it also beats the Corvette ZR1X by more than eight seconds. As you can imagine, the record breaking was not achieved with the same car, but rather a completely upgraded version.

Dubbed the Mustang GTD Competition, the extreme version uses an evolution of the 5.2 liter supercharged V8 engine with more power than the standard car’s output of 815 hp. Additionally, Ford installed new magnesium wheels, carbon bucket seats and lighter dampers to reduce weight by an unspecified amount. For reference, the standard Mustang GTD weighs 4,404 pounds (1,998 kilograms).

The Mustang GTD Competition’s body has undergone several further changes to improve aerodynamic performance, including an updated rear wing. The addition of a swooping plane at the front and a carbon fiber aero disc at the rear increase downforce, helping the car stay glued to the road with new tires developed to provide better grip.

As in the first two rounds, the record-breaking car was driven by Ford Performance and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller.

A road-going production version with the aforementioned improvements will follow “in very limited series.” There’s no word on pricing yet, but expect to pay more than the regular Mustang GTD’s $327,960 sticker. As a refresher, the Corvette ZR1X retails for a much more reasonable $223,195.

To coincide with the new record, Ford has reopened the application window for the regular Mustang GTD. A hotter version of Competition will follow at a later date.

Lest we forget, Ford also holds the record for the fastest American car on the track alone at the Nordschleife. The GT Mk IV recently completed an incredible lap in a time of 6 minutes 15.977 seconds, making it the third fastest car overall after the Volkswagen ID. R and Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. At the same time, the GT Mk IV was the fastest combustion engine car capable of traversing the iconic German track.

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Source: Ford

Motorcycle Pickup1: It’s impressive how Ford continues to improve the performance of the Mustang platform. Plus, there’s likely not much left of the original car, as the GTD is essentially a car built from the ground up with a Mustang body. Of course, this comes at a heavy price. While the base Mustang starts at $35,330, it’s no surprise that the GTD Competition ends up being about 10 times more expensive.

While some might argue that these Nürburgring lap times don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, it’s interesting to see Ford and Chevy go head-to-head. Whether the Corvette team will fight back remains to be seen, especially since the C8 lineup has been fully developed.

Meanwhile, Mercedes doesn’t seem worried about losing its Nürburgring crown to the American brand any time soon. The AMG One hypercar remains the undisputed leader with a lap time of 6:29.09. However, competition could emerge from within Germany, as Porsche is reportedly developing a new 911 GT2 RS.