Ford Mustang GTD fails its lap time goals at the Nürburgring, Blue Oval blames weather
The Nürburgring Nordschleife. It’s more than a buzzword in barroom banter about racing. Sure, it’s hallowed ground for motorsports fanatics, but it’s also a popular spot for marques to test their latest performance cars. Consequently, the Blue Oval set out to conquer the track with one of its wildest road cars to date: the Ford Mustang GTD. However, the attempt didn’t go as planned.
The Ford Mustang GTD may have to wait til next year to reattempt its seven-minute Nürburgring lap time goal
Ford Performance laid down a pretty big resolution with the Mustang GTD. Specifically, the brand said the limited-run Ford Mustang model will lap the infamous Nürburgring in under seven minutes, a benchmark reserved for the sharpest supercars and hypercars on the market.
However, just as the $300,000 Ford Mustang GTD prepared to take on the 13-mile course, the Ford Performance team had to call it quits. Unfortunately, the weather conditions at the track were less than ideal for the GTD to put its best foot forward. After waiting for conditions to improve, the team closed the book on the GTD’s attempt. And with temperatures falling and a German winter looming, it’s unlikely we’ll see the road-going race car make another attempt until 2025.
Still, if ever there was a Ford Mustang variant with the chops to lap the “Green Hell” in under seven minutes, the GTD is the one to do it. With 815 horsepower courtesy of its supercharged 5.2L V8, the GTD is the most powerful production Mustang ever. Furthermore, the track-ready Mustang model packs cutting-edge motorsport-derived technology like a Drag Reduction System (DRS) to promote aerodynamic efficiency.
It’s certainly a better match for the Nürburgring than previous Ford Mustang models like the 760-horsepower S550 Shelby GT500 or the Mach 1. Incidentally, a sub-seven-minute lap of the storied track would place the Ford Mustang GTD in rarified air. In fact, a successful attempt would make the GTD the fastest production American car to do it. As of 2022, the fastest American car around the ‘Ring was the 2017 Dodge Viper ACR with a 7:01.3 lap time. Looking at you, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.
