Last year, Ford took its 815-horsepower Mustang GTD to the Nürburgring, where it set the record for quickest American production car to ever lap the legendary circuit. The 6-minute, 57-second lap was mighty impressive, but Ford clearly wasn't satisfied. So the company has taken the car back to the Green Hell and set an even quicker time: 6 minutes, 52.072 seconds.
Ford says it found the extra five seconds through a number of improvements to the car. There's an updated powertrain calibration, a revised chassis with more torsional rigidity, a reworked ABS and traction control system, and a refined aero setup.
The new time means the Mustang GTD is quicker around the 'Ring than the Porsche 918 Spyder, formerly the overall record-holder. It's also quicker than the current-generation 911 GT3, the Ferrari 296 GTB, and the Lamborghini Aventador SV.
While seeing a car as big as a Mustang set such an impressive time, it's important to point out that this is no normal Mustang. The GTD is essentially a ground-up build with a Mustang body, using a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, connected to the engine via a carbon fiber torque tube. The semi-active suspension, developed by Multimatic, uses spool-valve dampers and a pushrod and rocker arm architecture. To see similar tech, you'll have to head to your local race track.
Still, it's crazy to think a Mustang is quicker than the mighty 918. It's a sign of just how far suspension and tire technology have come in 12 years, and the huge dedication of Ford's engineering team.
Ford has released a number of pictures from the day of the record run, but did not release a full onboard video of the lap. We suspect the video to appear on YouTube sometime this week, though Ford hasn't given a timeline.
Gallery: Ford Mustang GTD Sets Another Nürburgring Record: 6:52
