When Ford pulled the cover back on the Ford Mustang GTD in 2023, it set an ambitious goal for the road-going race car. The Blue Oval, like Henry Ford II declaring his intent to dethrone Ferrari in the 1960s, claimed the Mustang GTD would lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes. Not only did Ford succeed, it bagged the title of the fastest production car from America to lap the storied track. 

The Ford Mustang GTD lapped the Nürburgring in 6:57.685, making it the fastest American production car to do so and faster than world-class supercars

The Ford Mustang GTD is all about excess. Excessive grip, power, downforce, and weight-saving materials are the formulas behind the GTD’s corner-clipping credentials. And of course, at well over $300,000, it’s the most expensive new vehicle with a Mustang badge. Ever. Now the GTD can add another big-time bragging right to its repertoire. Namely, the only sub-seven-minute lap of the Nürburgring for an American production car. 

Previously, the title of the fastest American production car to conquer the “Green Hell” belonged to the 2017 Dodge Viper ACR. Like the Mustang GTD, the Viper ACR is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive (RWD) performance car with gobs of downforce-inducing aero. However, the GTD summons 815 horsepower from its supercharged 5.2L V8. Conversely, the now-extinct Viper ACR packed a true-to-form, 645-horsepower 8.4L V10.

Still, all the power and downforce in the world couldn’t secure the coveted sub-seven-minute lap for the swan-song Viper. However, the GTD managed to smash the benchmark by 0:02.315. The news comes after Ford Performance claimed weather hampered the GTD’s first attempt at the iconic German track.

In addition to snagging the top spot among American production cars, the GTD’s lap time puts it in some rarified air. For instance, the Ferrari 296 GTB missed the Mustang GTD’s time by 0:01.015. But as wild as it sounds, the Ford Mustang GTD manages to be nearly as expensive as the hybrid Ferrari.

Interestingly enough, the GTD’s ballistic lap nearly matches the Porsche 918 Spyder’s 2013 run. However, the razor-sharp, high-dollar Mustang missed the spectacularly quick times from other supercar staples like the Lamborghini Huracán Peformante. However, Ford President and CEO Jim Farley maintains the GTD still has a few tricks up its sleeve. “We’ll be back,” Farley said.