Is The Ford Mustang GTD As Quick As A Ferrari 296 GTB Around Nurburgring?

Ford has made the audacious claim the track-focused Mustang will be able to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in under 7 minutes, and as it finalizes development of the model, it recently brought a pair of prototypes to the racetrack for some hot laps.

Of the prototypes featured in this video, it’s the blue one that immediately catches the eye. It appears like a production-spec, or near production-spec, example, and looks extraordinarily quick through some of Green Hell’s most famous corners. During the hot laps, the car’s Drag Reduction System (DRS) can be seen opening on some straight sections before slamming closed on the approach to corners.

Read: Ford Mustang GTD Warms Up For Sub-7-Minute Nurburgring Lap Attempt

Then there’s the sound. Ordinarily, we’re only used to seeing European exotics lapping the circuit at these speeds, and they often have high-revving engines that scream and reverberate off the nearby forest. The Mustang GTD is very different as it runs a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with over 800 hp. It sounds monstrous, and the howl from the supercharger is addictive.

This GTD also has a special Easter egg at the rear. Look closely and you’ll notice sitting below the ‘GTD’ badge on the rear fascia is a map of the Nurburgring finished in blue. We haven’t seen this sticker on any other Mustangs, and it’s hard to say if it will be an option on the GTD, or if the engineers testing this car were having a little fun and stuck it on.

While the V8 of the Ford Mustang GTD will be an important part of the recipe needed to break the 7-minute barrier at the ‘Ring, it won’t be the only one. Instead, it’s the car’s extreme aerodynamic package that’s likely to unlock most of the performance. It includes a huge rear wing, a carbon fiber undertray, active front flaps, new fenders, and a bold front fascia and splitter to stick it to the pavement. The car also rocks some trick suspension, including inboard dampers and springs at the rear.

Although Ford has yet to announce an official lap time at the Nurburgring for the Mustang GTD, the 819 hp (830 PS) Ferrari 296 GTB posted a 6:58.70 lap time with Sport Auto’s Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel in June 2023. Since the most powerful Mustang ever also boasts more than 800 hp and has all of the aforementioned trick aero and suspension that come in handy at the track, it will be interesting to see if it can match, or even beat, the Ferrari’s time.