New Ford Mustang GTD Competition Variant Sets 11-Second-Faster Nürburgring Time, Beating Everything But Mercedes-AMG One

Once again there's a real battle going on for Nürburgring lap time supremacy, this time being led by American automakers. In the summer of 2024, Ford set a time of 6:57.685 in the new Mustang GTD, making it the fastest American production car to lap the 'Ring. Then, in spring 2025, Ford took the GTD back to the track, setting a new time of 6:52.072, over five seconds faster than before. But just a couple months later, Chevrolet beat the Mustang with both the "regular" Corvette ZR1 and the 1,250-hp ZR1X hybrid, setting times of 6:50.763 and 6:49.275, respectively. Ford CEO Jim Farley left a comment on Chevy's Instagram page, congratulating the team on the new record while saying, "Game on!"

Game on, indeed. Ford is now introducing a new Competition version of the Mustang GTD that has more power, less weight, better tires and improved aerodynamics. With Dirk Müller behind the wheel, the same Ford Racing factory driver who set the GTD's first two times, the Mustang GTD Competition lapped the Nürburgring in 6:40.835, more than 11 seconds faster than the standard GTD. In addition to beating those pesky Corvettes, that time makes the Mustang GTD Competition faster around the Green Hell than any other production car save the Mercedes-AMG One, which still holds the record at 6:29.090. (Ford did recently wallop the AMG One with the track-only GT Mk IV, though!)

Ford is only saying that the GTD Competition's supercharged 5.2-liter V8 has "beyond" the regular GTD's 815 horsepower; given that it apparently has "hardware updates and aggressive tuning," I bet the new figure starts with a 9. There's an additional canard in the front bumper, a tweaked front splitter, magnesium wheels with carbon-fiber aero discs at the rear, and new end plates and other modifications to the rear wing. We don't have details on the Competition's "new high-performance tires" yet, but carbon bucket seats and lighter dampers are part of its weight-saving regimen. It was a big team effort, according to Ford:

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.

Alongside the announcement of the Competition's time, Ford is opening back up the order books for the GTD — or, should we say, Ford is taking new applications again, as the company picks and chooses who it will sell GTDs to. There's no word yet on how much the Competition will cost, but it will surely be more expensive than the regular GTD's $327,960 starting price, and Ford says it "will only be offered in the future as a special edition, street legal model available in strictly limited, serialized quantities."