The Mustang GTD: Ford’s Peak for their Iconic Muscle car The Ford Mustang is the most iconic car ever built in America. It launched the term “muscle car” and throughout its seven iterations, has remained relatively the same. A great big thumping, roaring V8 up front, drive going solely to the rear wheels for smoky burnouts and the option of an automatic or manual transmission. The Mustang is currently in its seventh generation and at the peak of the line-up is the $325,000 GTD. GTD stands for Grand Touring Daytona, a nod to the 24-hour race of Daytona and as such the GTD borrows heavily from the GT3 Mustang racer. Under that menacing skin sits a 5.2l supercharged V8 volcano that develops 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. The result is 0-62mph in 3 seconds dead and a top speed of 202mph. Yet unlike most Mustangs, the GTD isn’t just built to power down the straights but to demolish the world’s racetracks. It features a carbon-fibre body, semi-active suspension and Multimatic Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) dampers that enable adjustments to the ride height and spring rates. The most advanced feature though is the Drag Reduction System (DRS) which adjusts the active ginormous rear wing to optimize downforce and stability at high speeds. Couple that with the enormous Brembo Carbon-Ceramic Brakes and what results is maximum stability, absolute grip and gung-ho performance. It’s therefore no surprise that the GTD lapped the terrifying Nürburgring in less than 7 minutes. Smashing the Nürburgring Lap Record: A first for American Cars Commonly known as “the Green Hell” The Nürburgring really is the ultimate proving ground for sports cars. It has 12.9 miles of twists, bumps and 73 demanding turns, most notably the 180-degree banked left-hander death trap, the Karusell. It’s certainly a challenge for most manufacturers let alone those wanting to achieve a sub-7 minute lap record. Traditionally cars that achieved this record were from Italy or Germany. See the likes of the Huracan Performante, GT2 RS, Aventador SVJ, GT3 RS, AMG GT Black Series, AMG One and 918. Breaking the 7-minute barrier has always been a tough challenge and yet somehow Ford managed to achieve this. 6:57.69, how was this achieved? At the wheel of the GTD was German Racing Driver Dirk Müller. A man who achieved success racing for BMW in the FIA GT Championship and then later for Ford in many of their associate racing programmes, including the GT at LeMans. He was therefore the ideal man to get the best out of the GTD. Before the famed lap, Ford’s engineers fettled the GTD ensuring its V8, brakes, suspension and gearbox were all in tip-top condition. They then waited for the optimum temperature, weather and a completely dry track before sending Müller out for some sighting laps. During these laps, Müller reported several adjustments that were accounted for before the big-time trial. On the trial, Müller pushed the GTD to its limits with the car screaming down the main straights at over 180mph. And through the tricky corners like the Karusell, the GTDs aerodynamics assisted in maximum grip and go. Eventually, it roared across the line setting an impressive time of 6:57.69, something later verified through official data. To put that into perspective, the 815 horsepower old-school leviathan is quicker than a Manthey Kitted GT3, a car built for the ring, and the far more advanced and similarly powerful, Ferrari 296 GTB. Quite an achievement not just for the Mustang or Ford but for American Cars in general. Going Even Faster: Truly the Peak of the Mustang Despite this monumental achievement, Ford’s engineers believe there’s more to be unlocked with the Mustang GTD. Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall stated, “Every decision on this car was made to achieve this lap time…We left time on the track…We’ll be back to push this car even further.” This heavily implies that conditions weren’t ideal and that Ford believed the GTD had even more to give. Some engineers believe that it could shave off an additional nine seconds now truly aiming for the elite standards set by cars like the GT2 RS and Aventador SVJ. But for now let’s just celebrate the fact that this old-school, enormous 60-year-old Icon has managed to lap the most terrifying track in less than 7-minutes. An impressive feat for any car but for a Ford Mustang, it’s simply astonishing. The GTD truly is the peak of the Mustang and if you are one of 1000 people fortunate enough to own one, consider yourselves very lucky. Source: Ford Media
