The 815-HP Ford Mustang GTD Is the Most Powerful Pony Yet

Following the car’s first public demonstration at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer, the Ford Motor Company is finally ready to share all of the details related to the upcoming Mustang GTD. More specifically, we now know that the GTD will arrive with 815 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque on tap, securing its place atop the pony car’s tall leaderboard of high-powered iterations.

Under the hood sits the supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V-8 engine, which first made its debut in the S550-gen Shelby GT500. The engine receives a dry-sump oiling system for the GTD, a first for the Mustang; FoMoCo also found 100 extra revs in the powerband, raising the redline to 7650 rpm. Each trip to that redline is controlled by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which improves weight balance compared to previous super-Stangs. The Blue Oval is very proud of the fact that this new powertrain makes more horsepower per liter than the flat-six found in the current generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Ford’s desire to chase the Porsche 911’s GT variants is evident with one look at the car's extreme aero package. Don’t let that large rear wing and front diffuser trick you, however;s the GTD is the fastest Mustang ever produced. Thanks to the F1-inspired drag reduction system, Ford says the GTD can reach speeds of 202 mph.

That sort of speed should allow the GTD to post a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in less than seven minutes, according to the team behind this Mustang. (Ford hasn’t shared the car's official time yet, but it seems pretty confident in its ability to smash that seven-minute mark.) That said, with hardware like carbon-ceramic brakes, inboard-rear suspension, and semi-active dampers, the GTD is anything but an underdog on track.

Okay, it’s no surprise that the GTD is the most potent Mustang yet — but that only heightens our excitement to see it in action against Europe’s best track-day machines. Whether the car is as well-sorted as the Old Continent contingent or not, though, we already know that its V-8 wins in the sound department.

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