Years from now, the release of the 2017 Ford GT will be the stuff of automotive marketing legend. College courses will revolve around the study of every move made by the executives in charge. There will be analogies made to the game of chess.
Here are the reasons why the fast-forthcoming Ford GT is the most hotly anticipated supercar in history.
A rich, interrupted legacy
This will be the third Ford GT – the original is the stuff of legend. First built in 1963, the Ford GT project was intended to beat Ferrari at its own game – long-distance sports car racing. After Carroll Shelby was drafted in to guide the racing program, the Ford GT (dubbed the GT40 due to its height in inches) won its first major race, the Daytona 2000 in February, 1965.
Related: First Ford GT supercar rolls off the line at Ontario factory
Related photos: Ford's new GT is a Detroit showstopper
A season later, the Ford program was all-conquering, taking the top-three finishing positions at the first 24-hour race held at Daytona, at the 12 Hours of Sebring and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The second Ford GT, built from 2004-06, was a stunning homage to the original, albeit one with a far less Hollywood-ready history. This mid-engine monster featured a supercharged 5.4-litre V-8, a six-speed manual transmission and little in the way of driver aids. The 550-horsepower Ford GT was capable of hitting 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and cresting a top speed of 330 km/h.
During its brief production run, 4,038 models were built and sold; the car, which listed for $149,995 (U.S.), is a valued collector’s item. “Nowadays, a good example will list for well over $300,000,” says Gord Duff, a leading car specialist with RM Sotheby’s.
A renewed racing heritage
Picking up where the original GT left off a half-century ago, the new Ford GT is already a race winner. Unlike either the original or the second-gen GT, though, this car was designed and engineered to be a race car and a road car right from the get-go.
“We’ve had a very unique opportunity to develop the road car and the race car at the same time,” said director of Ford Performance Dave Pericak during the 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first competitive outing for the new Ford GT. “It’s sort of a blessing and a curse at the same time. You get to bake into the road car what you need for the race car. Really, what we race is truly what we’re going to sell.”
While the maiden race at Daytona did not yield a storybook finish – the top Ford GT finished seventh in class – a return to Le Mans this past June saw history repeat itself. The factory-supported Ford GT team finished first, third and fourth in the GTE Pro class.
Before the race at Daytona we spoke with the director of Ford Performance about the car and the Canadian connection:
A profound technological statement
Although the first production Ford GT will be completed soon, Ford insiders are not revealing much about the final specifications of the car – yet. The engine, for example: We know that it’s a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V-6. We know that it will be mid-mounted. We know that it will be linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
But the final performance numbers have not been released. The only promises from Ford thus far: The GT will boast more than 600 horsepower and one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any production car.
Over and above these details, the Ford GT has been designed and engineered in partnership with Multimatic, the world-class automotive engineering firm and race team based in Markham, Ont.
The Multimatic team is expert in suspension design, having reportedly helped Grand Prix teams such as Ferrari and Red Bull. (The new GT will feature such F1-inspired touches as an adjustable suspension system, wind-tunnel induced aerodynamics and a movable rear wing.)
It is also handy when it comes to lightweight construction. (The Ford will make liberal use of both carbon fibre and aluminum.) Last, but not least, Multimatic has also been responsible for entire builds, including the limited-edition Aston Martin One-77.
Heartbreaking levels of exclusivity
Ford’s plan is to sell the car for four years. The auto maker took applications from potential buyers for the 1,000 models it will sell. The entire production run is already sold out and all applicants had to go through an online ordering process to prove they were “GT-worthy.”
Although representatives from Ford aimed to give preference to current owners of Ford GTs, simple math reveals this was an impossible task. “I know people who own two, three, four Ford GTs who didn’t get accepted and who are very upset," says Duff. "I also know a couple of Ford dealers in the U.S. that did get one each.”
There is a level of exclusivity surrounding the Ford GT that rivals the most rare supercars coming from the highest-brow manufacturers – Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini. This is also key to the incredible interest in the Ford GT – it’s a Ford. “But the Ford GT is a global car and there is interest from around the world,” Duff says. “And the Ford GT is the only North American built supercar that can compete with the very best in the world.”
