The Ford Mustang GTD Competition has completely shattered the Nurburgring lap record previously held by the Chevy Corvette ZR1X.

      Ford

      The latest automotive news and reviews, no nonsense.

      Our complimentary daily newsletter brings you the most significant stories directly to you every weekday.

      There's a new Nurburgring champion from America, and it has just outperformed a host of elite cars on the renowned track.

      On Friday, Ford revealed that the Mustang GTD Competition achieved a Nurburgring lap time of 6:40.835. To clarify, this time ranks among the fastest for any street-legal vehicle available for purchase, second only to the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hypercar, which utilizes a Formula 1 engine.

      For reference, the Mercedes-Benz AMG One's 'Ring time is 6:29.090.

      Notably, the Mustang GTD Competition decisively surpassed the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's 'Ring time of 6:50.763 and the ZR1X's time of 6:49.275.

      If you're curious about how the Mustang GTD Competition managed to cut 11.237 seconds off the Mustang GTD’s previous time of 6:52.072, or what exactly the Mustang GTD Competition entails, you're not alone.

      Ford mentioned, “The new Mustang GTD Competition will eventually be available as a special edition, street-legal model produced in limited, serialized quantities.” However, the specifics regarding the number of units and pricing remain unclear. In fact, we still don’t know what kind of tires it utilizes.

      What is confirmed is that the Mustang GTD Competition boasts more power than the standard Mustang GTD's 815 horsepower. Ford indicated that there are enhancements in both hardware and tuning, though it’s unclear if this involves a larger supercharger, increased boost, or other modifications to achieve the extra power.

      Confirmed upgrades include alterations to the rear wing's DRS system and the addition of secondary dive planes on the front bumper. The vehicle also features carbon fiber aero discs on the rear wheels.

      Regarding weight reduction, Ford worked on minimizing it throughout the vehicle by introducing magnesium wheels, carbon fiber bucket seats, a lighter damper setup, and other measures.

      All these modifications contributed to the Mustang GTD Competition's impressive lap time, which now surpasses that of any Corvette, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit with a 6:43.300 lap, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR with a 6:44.749 lap time, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Black Series with a 6:48.047 lap, and of course, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which has a Nurburgring time of 6:49.328. The latter was the initial benchmark when this endeavor began.

      Remarkably, the Ford Mustang GTD was the first American sports car to break the sub-7-minute mark around the Nurburgring. Ford then improved its own time by 5.5 seconds, a notable achievement. However, Chevrolet later triumphed over Ford by surpassing the Mustang GTD's time not once, but twice, with the Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X.

      Ford CEO Jim Farley took this personally. He congratulated Team Chevy and then declared, “Game on,” indicating his determination to reclaim the title.

      In October, Team Ford returned to the Nurburgring to test a modified Mustang GTD. Several videos surfaced in March, showing the Mustang GTD making a record attempt with some clips recording a time of 6:41.74. History now confirms that those videos, which suggested they could be a second off due to visibility issues at the start and finish, were quite accurate.

      The Mustang GTD Competition now ranks alongside the Ford GT Mk IV, which is the third fastest vehicle recorded at the Nurburgring and the fastest one you can actually purchase.

      We will have to wait and see if Team Chevy or Porsche will respond.

      Do you have information about a Nurburgring record attempt? Reach out to us at tips@thedrive.com.