Ford Mustang GTD Review

The Mustang GTD is unlike any Mustang before it, a road-legal homologation of Ford's GT3 race car that happens to wear a pony badge. Its 5.2 liter supercharged Predator V8 makes 815 hp and 664 lb-ft, driving a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle through a carbon-fiber driveshaft for near-perfect weight balance. Ford quotes a 202 mph top speed, and the GTD became the first American car to lap the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, at 6:52.

This is a genuine engineering flex. The semi-active suspension can drop the car and stiffen for the track, the aero is functional race car hardware, and the whole thing was developed to prove a point against Europe. It looks sensational and goes even harder than it looks. As a limited, allocation controlled halo, it should hold value well.

The catch is the price and the purpose. Around $325,000 before options, plus a gas guzzler tax, buys you a raw, loud, uncompromising machine with a cabin closer to a well trimmed Mustang than a six figure exotic. Fuel economy is dreadful and daily usability is limited.

It is a trophy for the serious collector driver who wants track capability and a great story rather than luxury. On those terms it is one of the most remarkable cars Detroit has ever built.