Germany’s Sport Auto has sent the Ford Mustang Mach 1 around the fearsome Nurburgring with its test driver Christian Gebhardt at the wheel. He managed a time of 7:58.29.
The time will by no means threaten any lap records but does put the $53,400 car in decent company, per Wikipedia‘s list of lap times. The time is eight seconds faster than Gebhardt could manage in a 2016 Ford Focus RS, six seconds faster than an Alfa Romeo 4C, about four seconds faster than a 2009 Aston Martin DBS, and roughly the same as an F22 BMW M2.
The test also appears to have been performed with a manual version – perhaps the 10-speed automatic might have shaved a few tenths thanks to faster gear changes. It’s worth noting, too, that the car makes around 30 fewer horses (30.4 PS/22 kW) in Europe than it does in North America.
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Gebhardt is no stranger to the Nurburgring, having completed a number of lap times for Sport Auto, and having earned four class victories at the ADAC Total 24 Hours of Nurburgring race.
Ford calls the Mustang Mach 1 “the most capable Mustang ever to reach Europe.” Its 5.0-liter V8 makes 453 HP (460 PS/338 kW) and 390 lb-ft (529 Nm) of torque in European spec.
Ford claims the Mach 1 is capable of hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.4 seconds with the 10-speed auto, and in 4.8 seconds with the six-speed manual. With 22 percent more downforce than the standard Mustang GT, six-piston Brembo brake calipers, and a number of other performance modifications, it is among the most best Mustangs on sale, with one obvious exception: the 760 hp Shelby GT500.