Ford Mustang GTD breaks the seven-minute barrier at the Nürburgring

The Ford Mustang GTD has become the first American production car to complete a lap of Germany's infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes. 

Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller clocked an officially certified time of 6:57.685 in the 608kW Mustang GTD, placing it fifth among stock production sports cars on the circuit’s official leaderboard.

This achievement marks the Mustang GTD as the sixth production vehicle in its class to break the seven-minute barrier at the circuit, often referred to as “The Green Hell”, which is 20.76 kilometres in length and comprises no less than 73 corners. 

Overseen by the watchful eye of Ford CEO Jim Farley, the Mustang GTD was developed over two years by a specialised team of engineers and designers who adapted the Mustang GT3 race car for series production. 

The road-legal sports car retains several motorsports-inspired features, including a carbon-fibre body plus a range of technologies not restricted by GT3 racing regulations. Key components include Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics for enhanced downforce, a supercharged 5.2l V8 engine and semi-active suspension.

Twenty-inch forged aluminium wheels are fitted as standard equipment (lighter magnesium wheels are available as an option) and are shod with super sticky 325/30ZR Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres up front and even wider 345/30ZR tyres at the rear. 

According to Ford the sub-seven-minute lap was completed with a stock Mustang GTD equipped with Nürburgring-mandated motorsports safety gear, such as a competition seat with a five-point harness and a roll cage.

The Blue Oval has documented this flagship Mustang's development and Nürburgring performance in The Road To The Ring: a 13-minute documentary available on the company’s YouTube channel (see embed above).

The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at the testing process, which spanned American tracks such as Sebring and included extensive sessions at the Nürburgring before its final run. Hit the play button and watch this American pony car strut its stuff.