When Ford unveiled the 2025 Mustang GTD last year, it pointed to the center field fence and called its shot like Babe Ruth. The Blue Oval promised its ultimate pony car could lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes. That promise was fulfilled on Tuesday with Ford announcing an officially certified lap time of 6:57:685.
Despite the recent announcement, the lap itself was run back in August. The Ford Mustang GTD became the first stock production vehicle from an American manufacturer to break the seven-minute barrier around the legendary German track, the sixth car overall. Its 6:57.685 mark is the fifth-fastest time in the category. All these accolades are points of pride among Ford executives and selling points for potential customers willing to shell out $325,000.
Why was there a delay between the lap and the announcement? Ford released a 14-minute documentary short about the Nürburgring effort titled “Ford Mustang GTD: Road to the Ring” on YouTube. The video quickly details the magnitude of the Green Hell and shows it wasn’t smooth sailing for the program with concerns that the 815-horsepower machine was underpowered. Ford CEO and President Jim Farley said in a statement:
“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. 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.”
While the Mustang GTD might feature active aerodynamics and a semi-active suspension, it might not be the fastest American production car around the Nürburgring for long. For comparison, the GTD’s lap time is two seconds slower than the Porsche 911 GT3 992 MR and eight seconds slower than the Porsche GT3 RS 992. Chevrolet could realistically develop a Corvette to knock the Mustang off its precarious perch.