The results of Ford’s latest efforts to dethrone European sports car powerhouses are just a few weeks away from being revealed, as the Mustang GTD’s Nürburgring campaign ramps up.
Ford has uploaded a teaser video of the Mustang GTD’s lap record attempt to its YouTube channel, and it’s clear the car aimed squarely at dethroning Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS to become the king of street-legal sports cars at the infamous Green Hell.
The race car for the road was unveiled last year, with the ambition of becoming the first US sports car to achieve a sub-seven-minute lap time at the famed 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife course.
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Ford’s Road to the Ring teaser outlines intentions to “go beat the Europeans on their turf”, with the Mustang GTD aiming to overcome the Porsche 911 GT3’s lap time of 6:55.34 seconds.
There may be other production cars that have set quicker laps around the Nürburgring, though they lean more towards exotic hypercar territory – such as the Mercedes-AMG One, which recently set a new record of six minutes and 29.090 seconds.
That means Porsche’s naturally aspirated supercar is an appropriate benchmark for Ford, given both cars draw close inspiration from GT3-spec racing machines.
Ford has outlined dates for the reveal of the GTD’s efforts, with a trailer to launch on October 23 ahead of the global debut of a short film on October 29.
It’s understood the film will document the Mustang’s endeavours as they occurred, regardless of whether Ford’s goal was achieved or not.
More than 7500 customers put their name down for the circa-US$325,000 (A$490,000) racing-inspired pony car before orders closed in the US earlier this year. Not all may get one, given production will only take place for the 2025 and 2026 model years in limited volumes.
It’ll be built in left-hand drive exclusively, which means we won’t see one sold in Australia. It isn’t a normal Mustang either, as it shares little in common with the car it’s named after.
Under the bonnet is a 600kW supercharged 5.2-litre V8 engine, which drives the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle.
The double-wishbone front suspension and pushrod rear suspension help keep control of the Mustang GTD, while each corner sport 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Cup 2 tyres and Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.
There’s also a significant amount of carbon-fibre in its aerodynamic exterior design, which helps to reduce weight and improve handling.
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