Mustang GTD vs ZR1X at the Nürburgring: Is Ford About to Take the Record Back?

Ford’s Mustang GTD is back at the Nürburgring, and it is not here for a sightseeing lap. After Chevrolet’s Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X nosed ahead earlier this year, the Blue Oval has returned to Germany with a car that looks a little angrier and, possibly, a lot quicker.

Fresh spy shots show a GTD wearing extra dive planes on the front bumper and revised hood vents. Those are small changes you make when every tenth matters. The target is clear: the ZR1’s 6:50.763 and the ZR1X’s 6:49.275. The Mustang GTD previously clocked a 6:52.072, which means Ford needs roughly 3 seconds to flip the leaderboard. On a lap this long, that is the difference between a brave lift and a committed flat-out.

The hardware remains wild. The GTD packs a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 with 815 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, good for a 202-mph top speed. It is essentially a road-legal GT3: carbon-fiber driveshaft, an 8-speed dual-clutch transaxle at the rear, and a semi-active inboard pushrod suspension you can actually see through the rear bulkhead. If Ford is also massaging calibration, aero balance, and tire strategy, the lap delta is absolutely within reach.

Of course, Chevy has not exactly brought a knife to a gunfight. The Corvette ZR1X swings with 1,250 horsepower and 878 pound-feet from a turbocharged 5.5-liter hybrid V-8, and it starts at $207,395. Even the “regular” ZR1 makes 1,064 horsepower and starts at $181,395. The Mustang GTD? $330,000. Different tools, different price tags—but the stopwatch does not care.

So is Ford gunning for the record right now or gathering data for a final strike? Either way, the intent is obvious. Three seconds is not a wall; it is a challenge. With a tidier aero map, a cleaner run through traffic, and a set of tires peaking at the right moment, the GTD could very well steal back the crown.