Filling the gap between the GT and the pricey Shelby GT500, the Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a welcome addition to the Blue Oval's pony car range. At the heart of the Mach 1 is a brawny 5.0-liter V8 with 480 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque which pairs brilliantly with the available six-speed manual. While some Mach 1 customers recently received bad news related to a parts shortage, this is one car that's well worth the wait. To show us what the Mach 1 is capable of on the track, Sport Auto just shared a new video of the Mustang tearing up the Nurburgring. Considering this is a mid-range model, it put in a perfectly decent showing.

Sport Auto performed the hot lap with a manual-equipped Mach 1, and it achieved a time of seven minutes and 58.29 seconds. That's not close to being record-breaking but at least the Mach 1 dipped below the psychological eight-minute mark. With the 10-speed automatic, it's likely that the Mach 1 would have been even faster. It's also important to note that the Mach 1 sold in Europe is less powerful than the US-spec version. In Europe, the car has been detuned to produce 453 hp and 390 lb-ft. With more downforce than the standard GT, a dedicated Track driving mode, and MagneRide dampers, it's worth comparing the Mach 1's sub-eight-second time to other sports cars.

Sport Auto tested the brilliant BMW M2 CS on the famous track last year and the Bimmer set a blistering time of seven minutes and 42.99 seconds, making it about 16 seconds quicker than the Mustang Mach 1. However, the M2 CS is both smaller and lighter than the Mustang. Another example is the Toyota Supra, which managed a time of seven minutes and 52.17 seconds in 2019 despite being way down on power with 335 hp. The much more powerful Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE needed just seven minutes and 16.04 seconds.

Of course, lap times aren't everything and many fans would happily give up a few seconds to enjoy the Mustang Mach 1's sonorous V8. For what it's worth, the Mach 1 also looked perfectly comfortable tackling the challenging circuit. It's still one of the most entertaining coupes on the market.