Mustang GTD Smokes Corvette ZR1X with a Record 6:40 Nürburgring Lap

The Ford Mustang GTD Competition officially clocked a 6:40.835 lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, making it the second fastest American car to conquer the Green Hell, behind the Ford GT Mk IV (6:15.977) and comfortably ahead of its rival, the Corvette ZR1X (6:49.275).

Driven by Ford Racing and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller, the run places the Mustang in elite company. The time is now the sixth-fastest ever recorded in the Nürburgring’s Pre-Production and Prototype class, besting track stars like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. Currently, only the Formula 1-derived Mercedes-AMG One hypercar holds a faster time for a street-legal vehicle. This milestone means Ford now holds the two fastest Nürburgring times of any American manufacturer, following the Ford GT Mk IV lap set weeks prior.

To achieve such a performance leap, Ford engineers focused on pushing the Competition-spec's supercharged 5.2-liter V8 beyond its original 815 horses. Moreover, the Competition features a revised Drag Reduction System (DRS) with secondary front dive planes and rear carbon fiber aero discs to maximize downforce. Weight reduction was equally critical, utilizing magnesium wheels, carbon fiber bucket seats, and a specialized lightweight damper system to sharpen the car’s responsiveness.

While Müller’s professional lap provided the headline, another run by Ford Racing engineer Steve Thompson highlighted the car’s accessibility. Thompson, who has fewer than 40 career laps at the Nürburgring, piloted the same GTD Competition to a time of 6:49.337. His time was notably faster than the GTD’s original record. 

The rivalry with Chevrolet also appears settled for the moment. The rear-wheel driven GTD Competition’s 6:40.8 speed run effectively obliterated not just the Corvette ZR1, but also the more extreme all-wheel drive 1,250 hp hybrid ZR1X. By finding more than a second of improvement per mile over its predecessor, the Competition helps Ford top the list of American contenders at the Green Hell.

Ford has also responded to the achievement by reopening the application process for the limited-production, serialized model, coinciding with the Mustang’s 62nd anniversary. With its improved go-faster bits and carbon-fiber-everything, the GTD Competition will no doubt sell out like hot cakes, monster price notwithstanding.