Key Takeaways
- 800-horsepower Ford Mustang GTD spied at the Nürburgring.
- Adjustments to exhaust may be due to noise or aerodynamic testing.
- Mustang GTD is targeting a sub-7-minute Nordschleife lap time.
The Ford Mustang GTD has been spotted testing on the Nürburgring as it prepares to attempt a lap record at the Nordschleife. The 800-hp special-edition supercar was revealed in August last year to much fanfare, with Ford immediately proclaiming that it was targeting a lap time of under seven minutes at the Green Hell. Yesterday, Ford announced the start of the Mustang GTD’s European tour following extensive testing at North American racetracks, including Virginia International Raceway and Sebring International Raceway.
“This has all been in service of engineering a car that can lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes. Moving onto European roads and dedicated test sessions at the Nürburgring is the next step, ahead of a timed run later this year.”
– Greg Goodall, Chief Program Engineer for the Mustang GTD
Now, our spy photographers have captured the GTD preparing for its ambitious Nurburgring attempt, and we’ve got a full gallery for you to enjoy.
Mustang GTD May Be Too Loud For Some Racetracks, Despite Being Street-Legal
The images captured reveal that these initial runs on the German circuit required the team to modify the exhaust, but our spies note that the team appeared to be doing preliminary testing for suspension and other components, not attempting a record run just yet. Interestingly, these exhaust tips are slanted inward and aimed at the floor, so perhaps Multimatic and Ford were testing underbody aerodynamics.
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Sadly, no videos of this prototype testing on the ‘Ring have yet been published, but it’s safe to assume that whatever is going on with the exhaust, its supercharged V8 will sound fantastic, especially if one opts for the available Akrapovič exhaust. Although we already know what the GTD looks like, the appearance of this black development prototype without any camouflage highlights just how much wider and more extreme this new limited edition is compared to regular Mustangs.
All The Right Ingredients
The Mustang GTD was developed alongside the Mustang GT3 racecar, but while the motorsport model must adhere to various rules and regulations that ensure a balance of performance across different entries, the GTD only needs to meet emissions, safety, and noise regulations. While those provide challenges in themselves, even the GT3 car that the GTD was developed in parallel with is based upon the roadgoing Mustang Dark Horse, so the basics are there.
Related
10 Fastest Nurburgring Lap Times For Production Cars
These road-legal machines are criminally quick.
With those met, Multimatic and Ford engineers had total freedom to rebuild the pony car as they saw fit, and the result is 50:50 weight distribution, semi-active suspension with adaptive spool valve dampers, and something that the Blue Oval is confident will compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. For the record, the Porker lapped the famous Northern Loop of the Nürburgring in just 6:49.328. While we wait to see what Ford achieves, a mega gallery of the GTD testing appears below.
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