THE FORD GT IS AS AWESOME AS IT LOOKS
But few will be able to get their hands on this formidable $450,000 racing machine
So here, at last, is the Ford GT, the unquestionably fabulous, latest incarnation of a supercar.
Coming to market as the most expensive Ford car ever, it’s the consumer version of the car that the automaker created — in nearly Manhattan Project secrecy — for a return to the Le Mans 24hour race, 50 years after the GT40 scored the first of four consecutive overall victories.
The Ford GT’s return to Le Mans came last summer. The racing version of the GT dominated its class at Le Mans, finishing first, third and fourth. The stellar performance came more than a year after the Ford GT made its cheeky surprise appearance as a prototype at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, completely upstaging the unveiling of the Acura NSX.
So, the car. Eyeball flattening power? Undiluted race car? Yes and yes.
As far as I know, no one from the media or the public has driven the racing version of the Ford GT, and very few have been behind the wheel of the street car. Until now. I’ve been in sports car racing for more than 35 years, and this is the most formidable race car I’ve ever driven.
Staged in Utah, Ford’s program for the media included a run on public roads, including some sinuous mountain stretches with decreasing radius turns that ranged from slow to OMG fast.
Power? Sure, there’s no shortage of that. An adaptation of Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6, the twin-turbo street-legal engine is rated for 647 horsepower.
In a low-riding midengine sports car, this adds up to 0-to-60 miles per hour in three seconds flat.
In full automatic mode, the 7-speed Getrag dual-clutch automatic transmission keeps the engine in the sweet part of its powerband. As you might expect, fuel economy — 11 miles per gallon in the city, 18 mpg on the highway — is not a bragging point. Nor is it likely to be an owner concern. In manual mode, the automatic snaps its shifts up and down far quicker than any driver could manage with a manual transmission.
While aerodynamic efficiency was the top priority, GT design director Craig Metros also managed to make the car gorgeous. His goal: “Performance efficiency and modern seduction.”
The car is a carbon festival — carbon fiber body panels, carbon fiber central tub, carbon ceramic brake rotors. These are brakes that do everything but stand the car on its nose.
Getting behind the wheel entails contorting oneself in under the scissor-style door and then behind the grippy wheel, which is flat on top and bottom.
The seats — thinly padded carbon fiber — are race car purposeful, well-bolstered and very supportive but probably not very comfortable for trips of any length. Contemporary amenities are limited — climate control, audio and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, including navigation, on a smallish center dash screen.
In terms of pure performance, the consumer version of the GT operates at a very high level, providing a taste of what the guys experienced last summer at Le Mans. But as a touring car, the GT probably leaves something to be desired. It’s snug inside — not much elbow room, not much head room, especially when wearing a helmet. And stowage is conspicuous by its absence.
Now for the bad news. The base price for the “standard” GT is $450,000, plus $2,500 destination — far more than any Ford car ever.
Even if you’re thinking about selling your estate in the south of France to acquire a GT, you’re out of luck. According to Henry Ford III, who manages Ford Motorsports marketing, there were some 6,500 applicants worldwide for the first 750 cars that will be sold worldwide — 10 countries besides the U.S.
Among other criteria, the applicants were vetted on a basis of loyalty to Ford, plus a promise to drive the car rather than stow it away as a collectible, plus a further promise to refrain from selling the car for at least two years.
Those are pretty tough requirements for what is, after all, a very expensive track toy. On the other hand, the GT is a stunning showcase for Ford technology. And what kind of price do you set on extraordinary?