Ford engineers literally 3D-printed new aero parts at the track, allowing the Mustang GTD to run a 6:52 Nürburgring lap. 

The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is not just another high-horsepower, special-edition muscle car. It is now one of the fastest production cars in the world, thanks to a blistering 6:52.072 lap around the Nürburgring in April 2025. That makes it quicker than any Ferrari around the track, with the 296 GTB being 6 seconds slower, and only 3 seconds behind the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. And while the GTD is packed with meticulous engineering, the most surprising tool Ford relied on was 3D printing.

Small Aero Tweak That Changed Everything

The Mustang GTD already carries serious aero hardware, from its carbon fiber swan-neck wing mounted to the C-pillar to an active drag-reduction system – that’s not even to mention the Liquid Carbon edition. Still, during Nürburgring testing, engineers realized the car needed more downforce. In an interview with The Drive, Chief Program Engineer Greg Goodall explained that the team 3D-printed new parts at the track to chase every possible advantage. The breakthrough came with tiny “hood flicks” — raised pieces around the hood vents — that proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered. After several iterations and wind tunnel tests back in Detroit, the design was finalized for production.

What the Hood Flicks Actually Do

With 815 hp from its supercharged 5.2-liter V8, the GTD had no shortage of speed. Despite already having more than 1,300 lbs of downforce when traveling 155 mph, Ford wanted more. However, the challenge was adding it without eating away at its 202-mph top speed. The hood flicks solved that. By reshaping airflow ever so slightly, they gave the Mustang GTD more front-end bite while keeping the drag coefficient unchanged. According to Goodall, without these tiny bumps, breaking seven minutes at the Nürburgring would have been “very tight.”

The Fastest, Most Innovative Mustang Ever Built

That 6:52 lap placed the Mustang GTD in the Nürburgring’s top 10 fastest production cars. While the latest Mustang GT has matured in many ways, the GTD is still a monumental leap for a nameplate notorious for its crowd-seeking abilities. Today, it is a genuine rival to Europe’s finest. By combining raw American horsepower with innovations like active aerodynamics and 3D-printed parts, Ford has built the first Mustang worthy of the supercar title. 

Acknowledgements: autoblog