Ford has just pulled off one of the biggest Nürburgring moments in recent years.
The track-only Ford GT Mk IV has officially become the fastest American car ever around the Nürburgring Nordschleife after posting a stunning lap time of 6:15.977 with Ford factory driver Frédéric Vervisch behind the wheel.
That number is not only enough to beat every other American car, it also makes the GT Mk IV the quickest gasoline-powered car ever to lap the Green Hell.
Overall, the Ford now sits third on the Nürburgring leaderboard, behind only the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo and the electric Volkswagen ID.R. Some fans still count Stefan Bellof’s legendary Porsche 956 lap from 1983 among the all-time greats, but because it happened during race conditions, it is not officially included in the same rankings.
What makes Ford’s run even more impressive is that it was more than 14 seconds quicker than the Mercedes-AMG One, which currently holds the official production car record with a 6:29.050 lap.
Of course, there is a catch. The Ford GT Mk IV is not street legal, so it cannot compete in the official production-car category. This is a track-only machine built for one purpose: pure speed.
Only 67 examples of the GT Mk IV will be produced, each priced at more than 1.7 million dollars. Under the body sits a heavily upgraded 3.8-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 producing more than 800 horsepower, combined with a race gearbox, advanced suspension from Multimatic, huge aerodynamic downforce, and a longer body designed specifically for maximum performance.
Ford also worked closely with Michelin and Multimatic to prepare the car for the Nürburgring attempt, while Vervisch’s experience at the circuit helped unlock everything the car had to offer.
Interestingly, the lap was set in cold conditions, with Ford reportedly limiting top speed to around 193 mph for safety reasons.
For Ford, this feels like the perfect send-off for the modern GT program. Nearly a decade after the latest Ford GT first arrived, the Mk IV has now secured its place among the fastest and most extreme cars ever to tackle the Nürburgring.
Now all eyes are on Chevrolet to see if Corvette can answer back.
