Feb 2025
Ford Mustang GTD: Road to the Ring
When Ford revealed the Mustang GTD, it came with a promise – that it would run Germany’s gruelling Nürburgring in under 7 minutes, a feat only accomplished by a handful of production sports cars.
At 20.8 kilometres long, with 73 curves and 300 metres of elevation change, the Nürburgring is the world’s most difficult track and the ultimate fitness test for a road performance vehicle; it is the standard by which all performance cars are measured. Until now, no American car brand has achieved a sub-7-minute lap.
Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell,’ the Nürburgring is also famous for having unpredictable and uneven weather. It is very typical for it to be sunny in one part of the track and absolutely downpouring in another part, making the challenge to complete the track even more difficult.
Chrome joined the Ford team in Germany a total of four times this year in an attempt to outpace the weather and give driver Dirk Müller the best shot at breaking the 7-minute lap time.
Despite Ford’s two years of preparation and Chrome’s various trips to and from the Nürburgring – with many long shoot days – nothing felt as long as the 7 minutes we waited for Dirk to complete the lap. With bated breath and fingers crossed, we and Ford anchored all our hard work, long hours, and this labour of love on a brief moment in time.
From build, to test, to the harrowing corners of the Nürburgring, we followed the drama as it unfolded across several months. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
