A Mustang With a Point to Prove
When Top Gear stages a lap-time test, the results tend to resonate well beyond the perimeter fence of their test tracks. It has long served as a neutral proving ground where marketing claims collide with the stopwatch. In the show’s latest YouTube feature, that tradition continued with the arrival of the Ford Mustang GTD, handed to The Stig for a full-bore attempt to validate Ford’s boldest performance promises yet.
Ford’s ambition for the GTD has never been subtle. CEO Jim Farley has openly cited the Porsche 911 GT3 RS as the benchmark, framing the GTD as a road-legal offshoot of Ford’s GT3 racing program rather than a conventional muscle car. On the Top Gear leaderboard, that meant aiming at the GT3 RS’s 1:14.8 lap time.
Given the Mustang’s front-engine layout, substantial curb weight, and sheer physical size, the target looked aggressive. Even so, Ford arrived armed with 815 horsepower, race-derived Multimatic suspension, carbon bodywork, and active aerodynamics rarely seen on an American production car.
How the GTD Delivered a Shock Result
Engaging Track mode fundamentally alters the GTD’s character. The suspension drops the ride height by roughly 2 inches, stiffening the springs and dampers while recalibrating the car for maximum circuit performance. At the same time, its active aerodynamic systems come alive, with adjustable front splitter elements and a hydraulically controlled rear wing capable of deploying drag reduction on the straights, generating meaningful downforce without sacrificing straight-line speed.
That hardware translated into immediate confidence on the stopwatch lap. Through notoriously awkward sections such as Chicago and Hammerhead, the GTD remained composed, absorbing bumps and kerbs that often unsettle stiffer, lighter cars.
Data shown during the lap revealed braking forces of 1.64 G and lateral loads exceeding 2.0 g through Follow Through, figures that place the Mustang firmly in supercar territory. On the back straight, the GTD reached 149 mph before hauling itself down for the final corners, its carbon brakes visibly glowing under sustained punishment.
Ford
And the Results are In…
The final time is 1:13.7, putting the Mustang GTD more than a second clear of the GT3 RS on the Top Gear test track. Context matters, however. On longer, more complex circuits such as the Nürburgring, Porsche still holds the advantage, with its benchmark laps remaining several seconds quicker than Ford’s best effort. Dunsfold’s bumps, transitions, and short straights played to the GTD’s strengths.
Even so, the significance is hard to overstate. This lap reframes the Mustang nameplate, positioning it as a credible threat to Europe’s most focused track cars rather than a straight-line bruiser with racing stripes.
Ford
