{"id":33793,"date":"2024-12-10T11:20:18","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T15:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33793"},"modified":"2024-12-10T11:20:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T15:20:18","slug":"lap-of-the-gods-ford-mustang-gtd-thunders-to-sub-7-minute-nurburgring-lap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/lap-of-the-gods-ford-mustang-gtd-thunders-to-sub-7-minute-nurburgring-lap","title":{"rendered":"Lap of the gods: Ford Mustang GTD thunders to sub-7 minute Nu\u0308rburgring lap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Mustang, welcome to the world\u2019s supercar elite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ford Motor Co.\u2019s iconic muscle car has become only the sixth production sports car to officially break the seven-minute mark around the epic, high-speed, 12.9-mile Nu\u0308rburgring, the world\u2019s most challenging road course. The 6.57.685 lap, clocked by Ford pro-race driver Dirk Muller in the winged, 815-horsepower, V-8-powered, 2025 GTD, validates Ford\u2019s ambitions to compete against top sports car brands including Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Corvette.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/12\/09\/PDTN\/76865992007-mustang-gtd-nurburgring-trackliftwheel.jpg?width=990&amp;height=557&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"544\" height=\"306\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD lifts a wheel on its sub-7 minute lap around the &#8216;Ring.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>GILES JENKYN, Ford<\/em><\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The lap is the\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/nuerburgring.de\/info\/nuerburgring\/records\/\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|${u}\">fastest Nu\u0308rburgring time recorded<\/a>\u00a0by an American-made sports car, with the GTD hitting speeds as high as 187 mph. The achievement dovetailed with Mustang\u2019s introduction last year of a GT3 race car to compete at the highest levels of sports car racing. At its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in June, the Mustang GT3 \u2014 essentially, a racing version of the production GTD \u2014 thundered to a third-place podium finish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The GTD was on display at the French race in the paddock. When it goes on sales next year, the GTD is expected to list for 10 times more \u2014 an estimated $325,000 \u2014 than the base, $33,000 Mustang.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp gnt_em_vp__yt\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"youtube\" aria-label=\"YouTube video\" aria-live=\"polite\"><a class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__yt_a\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/YuxuSLB1hg8?si=1z4H31iXKQMU_TB7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" data-c-vpattrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;YuxuSLB1hg8&quot;, &quot;id&quot;:&quot;76866371007&quot;}\" aria-label=\"Play YouTube video\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/YuxuSLB1hg8\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"557\" height=\"313\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe team behind Mustang GTD took what we\u2019ve learned from decades on the track and engineered a Mustang that can compete with the world\u2019s best supercars,\u201d said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley, an avid racer who pushed the program to take Mustang to new heights 60 years after the first, 1964\u00bd model was born. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be the first American automaker with a car that can lap the Nu\u0308rburgring in under seven minutes, but we aren\u2019t satisfied. We know there\u2019s much more time to find with Mustang GTD. We\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/12\/09\/PDTN\/76865996007-mustang-gtd-nurburgring-trackabove.jpg?width=990&amp;height=661&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"510\" height=\"341\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD on the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Green Hell of Nu\u0308rburgring.\" data-c-credit=\"Giles Jenkyn, Ford\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD on the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Green Hell of Nu\u0308rburgring.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Giles Jenkyn, Ford<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ford vowed to return in 2025, and satisfaction no doubt includes closing the gap to the 6:43.300 sports car record set by a Porsche 991 GT2 RS and the 6:48.047-minute lap recorded by Mercedes\u2019 top dog, the AMG GT Black Series. Both the Mercedes and Porsche compete against Ford in the international GT3 class and the AMG GT and 911 GT3 RS are production variants like the Mustang GTD.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The other three sub-seven laps were recorded by models of the Porsche 911 GT3, the fastest normally-aspirated production sports car. The 911 GT2 and Mercedes are turbocharged, and the Mustang is supercharged.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/12\/09\/PDTN\/76866568007-ford-le-mans-gtdmultimatic.jpg?width=990&amp;height=558&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"515\" height=\"290\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Ford Motor Company reveals the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD Carbon Series at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 15, 2024.\n\nStarted in 1923, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the longest running endurance motorsports race in the world.\" data-c-credit=\"Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The Ford Mustang GTD is based on the Mustang GT3 race car, which made its Le Mans debut in 2024 (shown).<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Henry Payne<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The ground-pounding, supercharged, 5.2-liter V-8 engine is similar to the mill in the last-generation, 760-horsepower Shelby Mustang GT500. But with upgrades like a rear-mounted transmission for better balance, lightweight carbon-fiber driveshaft, dry-sump oil system to withstand high side-forces, and swan-neck rear wing, the GTD shattered the Shelby\u2019s 7:39.280 lap around the so-called Green Hell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The diabolical, 73-turn track is the benchmark for performance car testing with its blind corners, elevation changes and long stretches of flat-out, 180-mph-plus sprints.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/12\/09\/PDTN\/76865995007-mustang-gtd-nurburgring-porsche.jpg?width=990&amp;height=660&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"497\" height=\"331\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The Porsche 911 GT2 RS holds the Nu\u0308rburgring sports car lap record at 6.43 minutes.\" data-c-credit=\"Porsche, Porsche\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The Porsche 911 GT2 RS holds the Nu\u0308rburgring sports car lap record at 6.43 minutes.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Porsche, Porsche<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In unofficial lap runs, a Dodge Viper ACR run by a private group nearly broke the seven-minute barrier with a 7.01.3 lap in 2017 and German publication\u00a0<em>Sport Auto<\/em>\u00a0took the Chevy Corvette C8 Z06 around the Green Hell in 7:10.51 this year. The lap record by a manufacturer\u2019s hypercar is 6:29.090 set by the Formula 1-based Mercedes-AMG ONE. The outright lap record is 5.19.546 set by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo race car.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The carbon-fiber-skinned GTD was developed by Ford\u2019s Toronto-based racing partner Multimatic which has also developed hellions like the mid-engine Ford GT. Its GTD badge is a reference to IMSA\u2019s GTD race class that GT3 cars compete in. GTD\u2019s eye-watering price is similar to its European supercar peers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/12\/09\/PDTN\/76865994007-mustang-gtd-nurburgring-mullercloseup.jpg?width=990&amp;height=661&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"518\" height=\"346\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD was piloted by Ford IMSA driver Dirk Muller in its record Nu\u0308rburgring lap.\" data-c-credit=\"Giles Jenkyn, Ford\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD was piloted by Ford IMSA driver Dirk Muller in its record Nu\u0308rburgring lap.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_crd gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Giles Jenkyn, Ford<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">While it shared development with the GT3 race car that runs on tracks across the globe including Daytona and Le Mans, the GTD isn\u2019t subject to the so-called Balance of Performance regulations of GT3 racing. Unburdened of those rules, GTD took on the the \u2018Ring with state-of-the-art tech including carbon-ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics, and semi-active suspension.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">Michigan Politics<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Washington and Lansing, red and blue, we&#8217;ve got your government covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Daily<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\"><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ford captured the GTD\u2019s two-year assault on the \u2018Ring in a behind-the-scenes, 13-minute documentary called \u201cThe Road to the Ring\u201d which is available on Ford.com, YouTube, Facebook and other social media channels. The film features Farley, driver Muller, Multimatic Chief Technical Officer Larry Holt, and other members of the program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mustang, welcome to the world\u2019s supercar elite. Ford Motor Co.\u2019s iconic muscle car has become only the sixth production sports car to officially break the seven-minute mark around the epic, high-speed, 12.9-mile Nu\u0308rburgring, the world\u2019s most challenging road course. The 6.57.685 lap, clocked by Ford pro-race driver Dirk Muller in the winged, 815-horsepower, V-8-powered, 2025 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33793"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33795,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33793\/revisions\/33795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}