Watch This: Ford Mustang GTD Rips Through the Nürburgring in 6:52—Here’s What Makes It the Fastest American Muscle Car Ever
By Nik Miles
📺 Watch the full in-car Nürburgring lap video above before diving in—trust me, it’s the most thrilling seven minutes of your day.
What you’re watching is not CGI. It’s not a marketing gimmick with soundtrack fluff and slow-motion edits. It’s a raw, uncut, 6-minute-and-52-second masterclass in mechanical violence, courtesy of the upcoming Ford Mustang GTD and a man named Dirk Müller, who probably didn’t blink once during the entire lap.
Ford’s not just flexing here—they’ve just put America back on the Nürburgring map in a way that’s impossible to ignore. So let’s unpack what makes this lap more than just a headline and why the 2025 Mustang GTD might be the most important Mustang since, well, Mustang.
“Okay, but what exactly happened?”
The GTD, Ford’s carbon-clad, $325,000 muscle-bound track weapon, just laid down a 6:52.072 lap time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. That’s not just fast—it’s record-book fast. We’re talking fourth-fastest production car ever, ahead of the AMG GT Black Series and snapping at the heels of Lamborghini’s best.
More impressively, it shaved over 5.5 seconds off its own previous lap from August 2024, thanks to upgrades in power delivery, aerodynamics, suspension tuning, and traction systems—all of which are going straight into customer cars. That’s right: what Dirk Müller drove is what buyers will get. Minus, perhaps, the ice-cold nerves.
“So what’s under the hood of this American rocket?”
Glad you asked. Underneath its carbon fiber shell sits a supercharged 5.2-liter V8, delivering 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque to the pavement through an 8-speed dual-clutch rear transaxle. That last bit is key—Ford’s decision to move the gearbox to the back helps achieve near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution, a necessity at the ’Ring.
And that’s not all:
- Top Speed: 202 mph
- Suspension: Multimatic’s DSSV dampers with a Track Mode that drops the ride height by 40mm
- Brakes: Carbon-ceramic with six-piston Brembos
- Aerodynamics: Active wing, rear diffuser, and a full carbon undertray
- Weight-Saving: Extensive carbon fiber use + titanium exhaust
It’s built in partnership with Multimatic, the same Canadian outfit behind Ford’s Le Mans-winning GT, and engineered specifically to blur the line between street-legal car and track-only monster.
“Why should I care if I don’t plan to drop $325K on a Mustang?”
Fair question. On the surface, this might look like yet another halo car with more performance than places to use it. But it’s not just about the lap time or the badge—it’s about what it signals.
This is Ford saying that muscle cars don’t have to fade away into nostalgic irrelevance. That performance, even in an era of EVs and autonomy, still matters. And crucially, it’s an American automaker proving it can still build a car that embarrasses the best from Europe—on their home turf.
Oh, and it’s not vaporware. Production starts Spring 2025, and only 1,000 units will be made. You’ll see them. You’ll hear them. You might even chase one on a canyon road if you’re lucky (and a bit foolish).
“How does it stack up against the competition?”
The GTD’s time puts it in elite company:
- Faster than the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series (6:52.54)
- Nearly tied with the Lamborghini Huracán Performante (6:52.01)
- Inches away from the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey (6:43.30)
This isn’t a Mustang trying to be a GT3 car—it is a GT3 car, just wearing license plates and looking better than it has any right to.
“So is this just hype?”
Not at all. It’s substance—delivered sideways at 202 miles per hour. And while most of us will never own a GTD, the tech, engineering, and lessons learned here will almost certainly trickle down to more attainable Mustangs. Think of this as the proof-of-concept for the next era of performance Ford.
It’s also a much-needed morale booster for enthusiasts who’ve watched too many sports cars get softer, quieter, and—let’s be honest—less fun.
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