A Ford just became the fastest gas-powered car in Nürburgring history — and only two cars on Earth have ever been faster

The Ford GT Mk IV has become the third-fastest car to take on the Nürburgring with a lap time of 6:15.977. It’s now the fastest car from an American brand to take on the Green Hell — and the fasest gas-only car.

The Nürburgring is an iconic destination for carmakers looking to break records or put new vehicles to the ultimate test. Located in Germany’s Eifel Mountains, it’s a 12.9-mile loop with plenty of challenging (and dangerous) turns. The latest attention grabber at the ‘Ring was Ford in the GT Mk IV.

Piloted by Ford Racing driver Frédéric Vervisch, it’s now the third-fastest car to ever lap the Nürburgring. However, it should be noted that the limited-production MkIV GT is a track-only car that is not really that available. This has disqualified it from the production car category, which is currently dominated by the Mercedes-AMG One.

So, did the Ford GT Mk IV break a lap record or not?

The Ford GT Mk IV is the track-only, limited-edition version of the Ford GT supercar, priced at $1.7 million. It’s definitely not a car you’ll be seeing on the street any time soon, unless you’re going to Monterey Car Week or something. I mean, I saw a random Czinger while walking around a random neighborhood in Salinas. But yeah, the Ford GT Mk IV is not your everyday car. Only 67 examples exist.

While you can buy one — and it’s technically a production car — it’s limited to the track. It has a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 version of the Ford EcoBoost engine, giving it 800 horsepower. When combined with its long tail, racing-geared suspension, and aerodynamic body, you can see how the Ford GT Mk IV was able to become the fastest internal combustion-powered car on the ‘Ring. Even though it was limited to 193 miles per hour due to the colder weather.

It’s impressive. But there is some controversy. It’s not a true production car. It’s not even allowed on the road. So, should we really be calling it the fastest American car and all this stuff? Well, we’re sort of not. We’re not taking away from the Mercedes-AMG One in the production car category. Although, is that a production car? I think that’s a bit more controversial than the Ford GT Mk IV. Because here’s the thing: the Mercedes-AMG One is street-legal in Europe, but not in America due to different safety regulations. If the One was forced to be in the pre-production category like the Ford GT Mk IV, it would have been defeated. Its time is about 6:29, the fastest for a “road legal” car.

Back in the pre-production car category, the Ford has lost to two cars, both not gas-powered. The first is the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo with 5:19.546 and the second car is the electric Volkswagen ID.R Pikes Peak racer with a 6:05.336. After the Ford GT Mk IV is the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype at 6:22.091 and then the Lotus Evija hypercar at 6:24.047. If you’re looking for the time of the next-fastest gas-powered pre-production car, it’s the Manthey-spec Porsche 991 GT2 RS at 6:43.300. The Ford GT Mk IV left it in the dust.

It’s all very interesting, and a win for American car lovers. As a Mustang GT owner, I know my boyfriend was pretty excited about this record. It beat the Corvette ZR1X after all. But in the end, it all doesn’t really matter. It’s just for fun. It’s not like any of us are going to drive these cars. And if we did, we’d just be going 50 miles per hour, stuck in traffic somewhere.

Still, seeing carmakers push vehicles to the limit is always exciting. It shows what they are capable of outside of their boring EV SUVs. It shows innovation and passion and creativity and it’s just f***ing fun. America!