On April 1, 2026, the Ford GT Mk IV set a blistering 6:15.977 on the Nordschleife, a record never before seen for an American car. Between pure thermal power and hybrid monsters, this time has shuffled the deck.
On the Green Hell, we always expect to see times fall from the side of German cars loaded with hybrid and electric power. However, this time, it’s a pure American car armed with a gasoline V6 engine that has made headlines, according to Carscoops.
Ford has indeed sent an ultra-exclusive track car to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, priced at over $1.7 million (around 1.6 million euros), which set a blazing lap time and claimed the record for an American car. Looking at the overall leaderboard across all categories and the fact that it remains entirely thermal, it quickly becomes apparent that this is not just another number on the long list of Ring records.
Ford GT Mk IV: a crazy time on the Nürburgring On April 1, 2026, the Ford GT Mk IV completed the 20.8 km Nordschleife in 6:15.977. Behind the wheel was Belgian driver Frédéric Vervisch, a double winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and a track specialist. Ford specifies that this time was achieved in cold weather, with a top speed limited to 192 mph, or 311 km/h, during the run.
This lap directly propels it to the third absolute rank in the history of the German circuit. Only the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (5:19.546 in 2018) and the Volkswagen ID.R (6:05.336) have done better. The GT Mk IV becomes the fastest car ever signed by an American manufacturer on the Ring, and especially the fastest equipped with a 100% thermal engine. It also beats the Mercedes-AMG One by nearly 14 seconds, credited with approximately 6:29.050, leaving behind electrified monsters like the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype (6:22.091) or the Lotus Evija (6:24.047).
An Ford hypercar reserved for 1.7 million privileged individuals The Ford GT Mk IV Nürburgring is not just another sports car in the lineup. It is the exclusive track-only version of the third generation Ford GT, developed with Multimatic, which arrives as a true swan song ten years after the launch of this modern GT and its class victory at Le Mans. Production is limited to only 67 units, each priced at over $1.7 million, or approximately 1.6 million euros, and reserved for a select group of customers.
Under the long tail carbon bodywork designed to generate maximum downforce, there is a extensively revised 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, producing over 800 hp, coupled with a racing gearbox and an elongated wheelbase. There is no hybrid system here; everything relies on the thermal power, aero, and chassis. This GT Mk IV has outperformed Ford’s other weapons on the Ring, such as the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck (6:43.482), the Transit SuperVan 4.2 (6:48.393), or the Mustang GTD (6:52.072). It remains to be seen which of these 67 owners will dare to truly chase such a time on the track with a Ford that has just written another page in the history of the Nürburgring, and whether a thermal like this one can still push the limits against hybrid and electric prototypes.
