Ford has announced it has set its sights on achieving a sub-seven-second Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time with the Mustang GTD, the fastest street-legal Mustang ever created.
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Billed as the first-ever supercar combining “world-class” performance with the soul associated with the “Mustang” moniker, Ford has announced it is aiming to set a sub-seven-minute lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the Mustang GTD, the fastest street-legal Mustang ever created by the Blue Oval brand. Indeed, this high-performance pony car boasts a top speed of 325 km/h.
Developed alongside the Mustang GT3 race car, the GTD employs a 5.2-litre supercharged V8, which sends a whopping 600 kW and 900 N.m of torque exclusively to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. For comparison, that’s 228 kW and 333 N.m more than the Mustang Dark Horse model we sampled at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the home of NASCAR, in 2023. Admittedly, the two isn’t really comparable, with the latter model employing the firm’s ‘Coyote’ 5.0-litre, naturally aspirated V8, though it remains interesting to see just how powerful the GTD derivative is compared to its stablemate.
Related: Driven: Ford Mustang V8 Dark Horse
According to Ford, the GTD’s supercharged powertrain “improves” on previous Mustang engines, with the 5.2-litre unit benefitting from a dry-sump oil system, which keeps the engine lubricated through sustained and demanding cornering, important aspects for a vehicle aiming to set a sub-seven-minute lap time around the 20.6 km Northern loop of the Green Hell, which comprises a whopping 154 corners. In addition, the GTD is equipped with a drag-reduction system, which can change the angle of the rear wing and the activate flaps sited under the front of the car to maintain balance between air flow for speed and downforce for grip. Stopping power is provided by a set of carbon-ceramic discs.
Related: Ford Reveals Official Pricing for New Mustang in South Africa
“We’ve been laser-focused since day one to make [the] Mustang GTD the first-ever supercar with world-class performance and the soul of a Mustang,” said Greg Goodall, Mustang GTD Chief Programme Engineer. “We’ve combined the work of talented engineers and designers, as well as an extremely capable driver, with Mustang GTD technology, power and aerodynamics,” Goodall added. “We can’t wait to deliver on our sub-seven-minute promise to [Mustang] GTD customers.”
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