Roaring around the ‘Ring, the new Ford Mustang GTD Competition model is the pinnacle of both the Mustang GTD lineup and Mustang sports car performance.

“When we said, 'Game On,' we meant it,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company. “Mustang GTD was always meant to bridge the worlds between GT3 race cars and street-legal supercars, and the GTD Competition takes this to the next level to continue keeping Europe’s elite up at night.”

Driven once again by Ford Racing and Multimatic factory driver Dirk Müller, the Mustang GTD Competition secures the sixth fastest time on the Nürburgring Pre-Production / Prototype Class leaderboard.

“The Nürburgring proves that our motorsport lessons don't stay on the track—they are engineered directly into our road cars,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Racing. “Our racing engineers compete to make Ford vehicles better. For us, every ground is our proving ground.”

To shave more than 11 seconds off Mustang GTD’s previous 6:52.072 Nürburgring Production Class benchmark, the team relentlessly focused on three key areas:

More Power: Hardware updates and aggressive tuning push Mustang GTD Competition’s supercharged 5.2-liter V8 to a targeted engine output beyond the original Mustang GTD’s 815 horsepower

Advanced Aerodynamics: Building on the existing Drag Reduction System (DRS), the Mustang GTD Competition adds rear wing modifications, secondary front dive planes, and rear carbon fiber aero discs to increase total downforce without sacrificing efficiency or aero balance

Increased Grip: New high-performance tires

Weight Reduction: New magnesium wheels, new carbon bucket seats, lighter damper system and additional actions help reduce weight

The Human Element Behind The Lap

But the stopwatch only tells half the story. The 6:40.8 lap is a testament to the technical wizardry and focused willpower of the Ford Racing Mustang GTD team.

Mission accomplished was not simply a result of better hardware; it was the product of a team that refused to compromise, driven by the dedication of engineers Peter Kuechler, Sam Ashtiani, and Steve Thompson, among others.

“You don’t run a 6:40 at the Nürburgring on hardware alone,” said Rushbrook. “The GTD Competition is the direct result of pouring our hardest-learned motorsport lessons into a street car, backed by a team of engineers who sacrificed their nights and holidays to squeeze out every possible millisecond.”

Proving just how capable the Mustang GTD Competition is, Ford Racing engineer Steve Thompson also piloted the GTD Competition to a time of 6:49.337 around the Nürburgring – faster than Müller’s original record.

“The Mustang GTD Competition is more than a world-class supercar. It is the embodiment of our team using all of its experience to get every detail just right,” said Farley. “They are as good as it gets, and the 6:40.8 time proves it to the world.”