If the slow drip of Ford Mustang GTD news is starting to feel drawn out—the ultra-high-performance, ultra-expensive Mustang was revealed last year and still isn’t on sale—we have some bad news: It continues. The latest tidbit Ford’s momma-birding into our hungry little mouths? That’d be the GTD’s Nürburgring lap time, and—don’t throw your phone or keyboard, please—it’s not here yet. Instead, Ford is promising the mighty Mustang’s lap time next week, December 10.
So what are we talking about here? Expectations. Ford has released the video above, in which a number of its development guys, drivers, and even CEO Jim Farley strongly hint that the Mustang will meet or exceed the team’s goal of a sub-seven-minute Nürburgring lap time. That’s seriously quick, up there with proper track-prepped European blue-blood stuff, and according to Ford, would elevate the Mustang to “first” status among American manufacturers on the lap time leader board for production cars. For context, the current Chevrolet Corvette Z06’s ‘ring time lands on the 7:10.52 mark, giving Ford a ten-some-second buffer for its claims among American manufacturers and breaking the seven-minute barrier.
Given the GTD’s setup, it doesn’t seem entirely impossible to imagine Ford nailing this. The Mustang is essentially a GT3 race car, with an inboard laydown rear suspension, adjustable ride height, far wider track than regular Mustangs, and active aerodynamics—all powered by an 800-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 paired with a rear-mounted dual-clutch automatic transaxle. We’ll find out for sure December 10…
