If you’ve got the floor all to yourself, why not do things with flair? That’s what Ford clearly had in mind when it crafted the Mustang GTD Spirit of American prototype that it unveiled ahead of the annual Detroit Auto Show on Thursday night. The red-white-and-blue exotic celebrates the achievement of Craig Breedlove, the one-time aerospace engineer who set an array of land speed records in a series of jet-powered racers.
The GTD recently set its own record, lapping the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes.
What’s set to become the fastest, street-legal Ford Mustang ever took a patriotic turn during its coming out party ahead of the 2025 Detroit Auto Show.
Wearing red-white-and-blue livery, the Mustang GTD Spirit of America took its bows on Thursday, the name meant to also pay tribute to Craig Breedlove which Ford noted, was the first person to break the 500- and 600-mile-per-hour barriers on land” in a series of jet-powered Spirit of America race cars.
“Mustang GTD is the pinnacle of Mustang performance. Mustang GTD Spirit of America celebrates the daring behind that performance,” said Mustang GTD Brand Manager Jim Owens. “Mustang GTD wouldn’t have been possible without people like Craig Breedlove, pushing the edge of the envelope and challenging the Goliaths of the day in an all-American way.”
Taking Mustang to new levels
The interior of the 2025 Mustang GTD Spirit of America.
The Mustang GTD is meant to fill the gap left open since the Ford GT supercar ended production in December 2022. First revealed in concept form in September 2023, the GTD will be more than just a Mustang with a yet-bigger motor.
It starts with a unique chassis and while there are plenty of familiar design cues, every one of its lightweight – mostly carbon-fiber — body panels is unique.
As for the Spirit of America package, Ford said it “features a package-specific seat option to present a unique take on the focused, all-glass cockpit. The seats are leather-trimmed with Dinamica inserts. Black Onyx features prominently, with a Race Red gradient stripe down the middle and Re-Entry White trimmings on the exterior, while Victory Blue contrast stitching provides a subtle pop of color. Victory Blue also appears as a contrast element throughout the cabin. The paddle shifters, shift ring, and IP badge are available in 3D-printed titanium, as well.
Ford is pulling off a number of tricks with all versions of the GTD. It features twin air inlets, as well as a dry-sump oil system that can keep all the moving parts well lubed even while facing maximum Gs in a corner. And it demonstrated that during a recent run at the legendary German Nürburgring, becoming the first American brand to lap the track in less than 7 minutes.
Under the hood
Top speed for the Mustang GTD is 202 mph.
The street-ready 2025 Ford Mustang GTD will borrow liberally from the next-gen Mustang GT3 race car – while adding a number of features that are, today, illegal to use on track. Among other things, it will feature a rear-mounted transmission, spool dampers, active aerodynamics and a supercharged V-8.
Initially, Ford promised the 5.2-liter drivetrain would make “more than” 800 horsepower. It turns out the final number is 815 – and 664 pound-feet of torque. That powers it up to a top speed of 202 mph, blowing any previous version of the Mustang out of the water.
Redline tops 7,500 RPMs, in case you’re curious. And there’s an “available” titanium active valve exhaust to make sure everyone within several miles can hear the roar of that eight-banger.
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The original Spirit of America
Craig Breedlove ultimately set five land speed records.
When he announced plans for the Mustang GTD, Ford CEO Jim Farley promised it would“do the unthinkable and take on the Europeans. I want to see Porsche, I want to see Mercedes, I want to see Aston Martin sweat.”
Craig Breedlove was doing that six decades ago. Back in the 1960s he was a structural engineer in the aerospace industry. He was also a budding racer, but not content to just win a few trophies on the tracks that dotted the California landscape back then. Instead, he bought a vintage General Electric J47 jet engine from a scrapped Korean War fighter and bolted it into tricycle-style race car of his own design. On his first attempt on August 5, 1963, the original Spirit of America managed a two-way average speed of 407.45 mph.
He eventually would set five land speed records, being the first person to top 500, then 600 mph – though he would frequently engage in a back-and-forth battle with another speed demon, Art Arfons, in his Green Monster.
Breedlove took time off before making one last attempt at what some believed would be the ultimate record: breaking the sound barrier in a wheeled vehicle. But his new Spirit of America crashed at around 675 during an October 1996 run. Rebuilt, it could only muster 1 mph better the next year. Breedlove thought it could eventually top 800 mph but it was never tested. The Brits broke the barrier that year, topping 700.
He passed away at his home in Rio Vista, California on April 4, 2023 at the age of 86.
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