Ford’s most hardcore road-legal Mustang ever, the Ford Mustang GTD, has just posted a Nürburgring lap time of 6min 57.6sec at an average speed of 178kph. That makes it the fastest American production car ever around the Green Hell and only the sixth standard production car to complete the lap in under 7min. Yeah, it’s that quick.
Driven by German motorsport ace Dirk Müller—a previous 24 Hours Nürburgring winner—the GTD carries over many elements from the Mustang GT3 program. Key features include active aerodynamics, carbon-ceramic brakes, trick suspension, and a large new supercharger that shrills like a child on a swing hitting a 90-degree tilt.
But despite its super-focused nature, with its five-point harness and roll cage, the GTD still comes equipped with indicator stalks and windshield wipers. Because it’s meant to be as usable on the Nordschleife as it is around Notting Hill, blurring the lines between the two with relative ease, according to chief program engineer Greg Goodall.
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Speaking to Top Gear, he said: “It’s taking all the goodies from racing and homologating them for the streets. We use adaptive spool valve dampers to help us stay glued to the track, but the suspension also has dual ride height and spring-rate capability, so it can just as easily be tuned for comfort.”
It’s unlikely to win any beauty contests, but Goodall says that’s intentional: “The shape was purposely engineered to not look pretty to maximize the amount of downforce we get on the track.
“The GT3 and GTD were developed hand-in-hand together: When one went into the tunnel, we’d immediately put those learnings into both. That means every surface on the GTD is designed for aero, like the small flat spot in front of the headlights that is essentially as a dive plane.
“We wanted to compete with the Europeans and show that we’re both capable and serious, and the Nürburgring is an obvious way to do that. It’s in their backyard, so if you want a measurable metric, that’s the one to go after. This project is just over three years old now, and this is what it’s been about from from day one.”
We also got a few words from Müller following his record-breaking drive. “It’s unique. It has bespoke dials and pedals, which makes it obvious from the start that it’s different to the Dark Horse. It still has the Mustang gene underneath, but everything that can be built upon and improved has been done so to the extreme.”
Some details on what it's like to drive, you ask? Müller responded: “Believe it or not, I never had a moment when I was pushing the car hard. It gives you a lot of feedback and the brakes fill you with confidence, but what blew me away most was the adaptive damping. It’s the first time I’ve ever used it, and it felt like driving on a cloud.”
And that engine? “It’s angry, but not scary,” he said. “We drew a lot of attention, not only from the air-intake sound but the noise that the whole car produces. Lap by lap, more people were coming from the street to see it—this was on a normal working day!”
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
