Most of us know the story by now. Ferrari dominated the race tracks in the late 50s and the early 60s, and there was no one that even came close. Ford wanted to buy Ferrari, and just when everything looked set, Enzo Ferrari pulled out of the deal. Henry Ford was furious, to say the least. He got so frustrated that he ordered his top engineers to design a car which could beat everything Ferrari had to offer. He gave them a blank check as he didn’t care how much it would cost; all he wanted to do was to beat Ferrari. Well, Mr. Enzo, thank you for denying Ford ownership of Ferrari, because if it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have had the Ford GT40, one of the best racing cars of all time
Time went on, and forty years later we got a reincarnation of the GT40 in the form of the Ford GT supercar. A marvelous car which was as glorious as its short living. It got killed off just two years into the production run due to various reasons, and that was the end of that. Or so we thought. Because at the North American Auto Show in 2015 in Detroit, Ford unveiled the brand-new 2017 Ford GT. It’s something the world didn’t expect but needed badly. With a super-light carbon fiber construction, upwards of 600 horsepower and a race-ready cockpit, the newest Ford GT is the best supercar to come out of Ford in the history of the company’s existence. Let’s find out if it’s true to its heritage and whether it’s as good as everyone is claiming it is.
Styling
Styling wise yes, they have kept what made the original so great. All it takes is one glimpse, and you can instantly determine it’s a Ford GT without any doubt. A long wedge shape hides the engine in the middle, and the sloped GT nose present in all GT’s so far is still here. There are dual ducts in the front bonnet just like the original and the tribute GT that came after it. Furthermore, it got round hips and a true supercar shape; it’s modern but still maintains that iconic look. The flying buttress wings are a novelty not just to Ford, but to the automotive world as a whole. They not only look cool but supposedly create an enormous amount of downforce even at medium speeds. The big dual cannon exhaust at the back looks as good as it sounds. It’s mounted proudly in the middle, at the center, accentuated only by the aggressive rear diffuser at the very bottom of the bumper.
As much as we like the old cars, there’s no denying that they were a bit brick shaped. They look like boxes with rounded off edges to make them somewhat more aerodynamic. The new one still has attained a basic form of that brick and familiar feeling about it, but it’s undeniably very aerodynamic and sporty. It’s still preposterously wide just like its predecessor but thanks to better proportions it doesn’t appear as it is, we have no complaints here.
There are small little details paying homage to the original everywhere scattered throughout the car, such as the rear outboard taillights. The new chassis like we said is made from carbon fiber to reduce weight with doses of aluminum where it needs to be. The windshield is very long but thanks to its sloped nature you can’t tell that from the inside. The rear spoiler is obviously active and can react to the conditions and the speed. Regarding looks, we’d call the new GT a major success.
Interior
The interior of the GT is reminiscent to that of the older models too. The seats aren’t bolted but rather directly incorporated into the monocoque shell. This gives the direct driver feedback as he’s attached directly to the chassis, giving you a literal seat of your pants feeling. Because the seating position is obviously fixed, the steering wheel has to move and so do the pedals, ensuring the driver gets into his optimal driving position. With the level of performance, the GT is capable of, anything less than an ideal driving position is a no-no.
Much like most Ferraris or McLarens these days, the GT uses an F1-inspired steering wheel as well. It’s got all the needed controls for the car on it, so you don’t ever have to take your hands off of it. This frees up the entire steering column with nothing to present an obstacle between your hands and the paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.
The gauge cluster is a very big LCD, which can be customized to display various types of data and information about the vehicle. With so much information it’s impossible to display it all at once, so this was the ideal solution. Anyone can set what data to be shown here depending on what you think is the most important to see.
Under the Hood of 2017 Ford GT Supercar
Everyone expected the new GT to feature a turbocharged V8, but it surprised everyone when they announced that it would have the new EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. It takes full advantage of the two turbochargers to develop more than 600 horsepower. How much is still not officially published but we’re sure it will be somewhere in the upper regions of 600 hp if not more. The torque has not been announced just yet but considering it’s a turbocharged engine expect the torque figure to be around the same number as the hp, possibly even more.
Luckily Ford has decided to stick with the traditional rear-wheel drive formula rather than to attach an all-wheel drive system to the car much like the newer vehicles. Thanks to low weight (not announced how much but expectations suggest slightly over 1,200 kg), large 20-inch rollers and a power figure upwards of 600 horsepower then new Ford GT is expected to be able to reach speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour. It might not beat Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar flagship this time, but we know that it will be much cheaper while still offering stellar performances.
We’ve still got some time to go before we get to see a professional review of it but boy, what a time to be alive. Just when everyone thought that the supercar market was dead, almost every high-end car company rolled out with their supercar version.
