Ford Mustang GTD Competition Reclaims Fastest American 'Ring Record
Ford breaks its own record with an even more specialized version of an already ultra-limited-production car.
Back in 2024 Ford made history at Germany's vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife with the Mustang GTD, becoming the first American production car to officially post a sub-seven-minute lap. We knew it wouldn't be long for that exclusive group to grow, and it did, with Chevrolet beating the lap not once but twice in the new, four-figure-horsepower versions of the Corvette. Now the Blue Oval is back at the Green Hell with another record, clocking a 6:40.835 lap in the Mustang GTD Competition.
If "Competition" sounds to you like a redundant name for a vehicle that's already built for track use at a literal race shop, you're not alone. This is a new variant of the GTD, one Ford says will "only be offered in the future as a special edition, street legal model available in strictly limited, serialized quantities." Details are scarce, but we know this: it's lighter, more powerful, grippier, and has more downforce. Basically, it had better be quicker than the "regular" GTD, which posted a 6:52.072 in May of last year with Ford Racing and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller at the helm.
Müller was the pilot behind the GTD's flat-bottomed steering wheel once again for this latest record run. To highlight how quick the Competition is, Ford also had GTD engineer Steve Thompson lap the track. Thompson's best? A wicked-quick 6:49.337 time, better than the original GTD, less than a hundredth of a second off the 911 GT3 RS, and not even a tenth away from the Corvette ZR1X.
What makes the GTD Comp quicker? More power, for starters: Ford says both hardware and tuning tweaks unlocked more power than the standard 815 ponies, which obviously helped the Mustang shave time on those long straights against the 1,250-horsepower ZR1X. The team changed the rear wing, added additional front dive planes, and rear carbon fiber aero discs for more downforce without seriously altering drag, as well. Stickier, currently unknown rubber wraps new magnesium wheels; the latter along with new seats and suspension parts trim curb weight.
This new lap time comes on the Mustang's 62nd birthday. To celebrate, Ford is reopening the application window for North American GTD buyers, though it hasn't confirmed whether the Competition will be part of the original plan of 1,700 units or if, like the recently record-setting GT Mk IV, will be an extension. One thing's for sure: it won't be cheap, as the "basic" GTD starts at around $328,000 in America before options.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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These are crazy awesome cars .They are to heavy , weighing over 600 pounds more than the 1250hp corvettes, yet they blew them into the weeds .They are two wheel drive , front engined that weigh 4400 pounds .WOW.
If you have the money, you can walk into. A Chevy dealer and order a ZR1. there isn't an "application" process. meanwhile, my Stingray Z51, is not the fastest car. But when you factor in price and availability, it's still the fastest car that I can actually buy