Mustang GTD claims Nürburgring title as fastest American car

Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife, often called ‘The Green Hell’, is often considered the benchmark for sports car performance, and the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD has made history as the first car from an American brand to lap the track in under seven minutes. Driven by Multimatic Motorsports driver Dirk Müller, the 600kW Mustang GTD completed the circuit in 6:57.685 — a certified time that ranks as the fifth fastest for a stock production sports car, according to Nürburgring’s official records. It’s also just the sixth car in its class to break the seven-minute barrier.

During its debut in August 2023, Ford CEO Jim Farley stated that this would be one of the achievements intended for the purpose built model. “The team behind Mustang GTD took what we’ve learned from decades on the track and engineered a Mustang that can compete with the world’s best supercars,” said Farley. “We’re proud to be the first American automaker with a car that can lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes, but we aren’t satisfied. We know there’s much more time to find with Mustang GTD. We’ll be back.”

The Mustang GTD’s performance is the result of a small, focused team of engineers and designers who spent two years transforming the Mustang GT3 race car into the first Mustang supercar. The development process and Nürburgring lap are documented in The Road to the Ring, a 13-minute film available on Ford.com, YouTube, and Facebook. The documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the GTD’s testing on tracks like Sebring and the Nürburgring, featuring insights from key team members, including Farley, Müller, Multimatic’s Larry Holt, GTD Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall, and GTD Design Manager Anthony Colard.

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Drawing heavily from Ford Performance Motorsports and Multimatic Motorsports’ experience with the Mustang GT3 program, the GTD incorporates advanced aerodynamics and track-specific setups. Unlike its GT3 counterpart, however, the GTD is not bound by racing regulations, allowing it to utilise cutting-edge technology such as carbon-ceramic brakes, active aerodynamics, a supercharger, and semi-active suspension. While the car that completed the lap was a stock GTD, it included Nürburgring-mandated motorsport safety features like a roll cage, a competition seat, and a five-point harness.

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