Text When Ford unveiled the Ford GT concept car, many critics thought it would never make production yet here it is rolling off the production line at Wixom. A truly exotic supercar, timed at 205 mph, and with the grunt and handling to compete with Ferrari. It hurtles from zero to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, which is mighty quick.
Not only that this is a bargain-basement exotic supercar at about $160,000 - if you can get one that is. Ford built only 4,500 Ford GTs. The bulk were sold in the USA, with just a few being allowed into Europe and elsewhere. There will be bigger demand than supply for this one - nothing new in the exotic supercar class.
Looks like the GT40 of the 60s
From a distance, the GT looks uncannily like the old GT40, yet still looks up-to-date. The extra 18 inches in the length has been taken in smoothly, and there's the same large wide grille, and headlamp covers as the original. True, seen from above, the nose is shown to be much longer than the snub-nose of the GT40.
Also carried over from 40 years ago is the radiator outlet in the hood - a new idea in the racing world in the 60s, but now quite common. The fast-back rear end is also as you'd expect, but has been modified to reduce lift.
How Ford took Ferrari's crown
The GT40 was around such a long time ago that its reason for existence is not well-known. Henry Ford II, the grandson of Henry Ford, wanted to buy Ferrari to get some real pedigree into Ford, but at the very last moment, with pen poised, Enzo Ferrari cancelled the deal to the dismay of the top brass at Ford.
Henry Ford II wanted an alternative - desperately. So he sent Roy Lunn to England to see what he could find. Lunn found the Lola GT, a mid-engined sports-racing coupe powered by a Ford V-8, and with some unique design features. Eric Broadley, founder and chief designer of Lola, was happy to sell the rights to the car.
A concept was roughed out, the styling was done in the USA, and then the design was transferred to the UK where Eric Broadley was retained as a design consultant, with Len Bailey head of chassis design. The GT40 was truly innovative in its time -, it was the first car in endurance sports car racing to have a monocoque body. It was made mainly from thin steel pressings, with a pair of wide sponsons each side of the cockpit providing much of the strength and containing the flexible fuel tanks.
Unique doors
In those days, at the start of these endurance races the drivers had to sprint across the track, jump in, start their engines and tear off while they closed the door - a fabulously spectacular start. So it had to be easy to get into the car.
The wide sponsons of the GT40 were a problem for a fast getaway, so the doors were extended almost to the center of the roof, but still had normal hinges. Like the rest of the exterior panels the doors were glass fiber, and to stop the flat tops of the doors flapping at 200 mph, there were little retaining lips to hold them in position. They were very successful, and are one of the things you'll find on the new GT.
4.2 liters, to 4.7 to 7.0 liters -
Initially, the car was powered by the 4.2 liter DOHC Ford Indy engine, which had enough power to compete with the Ferraris that were dominating sports car racing in those days - Aston Martin and Jaguar had withdrawn, while Porsche was still trundling around in the two-liter class.
- to beat the 3.0 liter Ferraris!
But neither the 4.2 liter engine, nor the Italian gearbox used with it were reliable enough for long-distance racing, so Ford switched to a tuned 4.7 liter Ford engine with a ZF box. At the same time, the front end was modified to incorporate the air outlets in the hood, but the car was still not a real match for the Ferraris, which had engines of 3-3.6 liters.
So Ford went for the big guns - it found its biggest engine, got a stronger gearbox, and beefed up the car. The result was the Le Mans winning 7.0 liter GT40, and this is the model the new GT is supposed to be modelled on.
Now a supercharged engine puts out the poke
Rather than go for a 7.0 liter engine - which they could have done - the Ford engineers opted for the 5.4 liter V-8 with supercharging to develop enough power. Nor did they slavishly follow the structure of the GT40 - it would have cost too much in tooling for a low-volume car like the GT. Instead they opted for an aluminum space frame, similar to those used by Aston Martin, which is part of Ford, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
GT looks very like the GT40 I worked on
The body is remarkably close to the original in form, and even includes the doors that wrap right into the roof. As I worked with Len Bailey on the design of the GT40 I knew the car very well. What amazed me when I first saw the GT was how faithfully it reflects the style of the GT40, even to the shape of the instrument panel, and the seats - more about them later - and of course the radiator outlets in the hood.
Modular V-8 engine
Back to now. The heart of the Ford GT is a highly modified unit from Ford's modular range of engines, which includes V-6, V-8 and V-12 units. Ford could have opted for the V-12 6 liter unit from the Aston Martins, but decided a V-8 was closest in concept to the original, so they chose the 5.4 liter V-8 engine and added a supercharger to push power up to 550 bhp. Also, V-12s are associated with Ferrari, which was a link Ford didn't want to make!
This is an all-aluminum design with four valves per cylinder. To cope with the extra power, a special forged steel crankshaft is used together with special connecting rods that are balanced to fine limits and shot-peened for extra fatigue strength. The pistons are also special forged castings. To give plenty of power and torque, the engine has an Eaton screw-type supercharger and variable valve timing.
Supercharger boosts output to 550 bhp
The engine knocks out 550 bhp at 6,500 rpm, and 500 lb ft of torque at 3,750 rpm. The supercharger ensures that there's plenty of grunt at quite low speeds, and that mid-range torque is massive. Definitely up to exotic supercar standards.
Ricardo, the specialist design and production firm, supplies the special six-speed transaxle which is mated to the engine, and was designed to suit it.
In classic style, the power train is mounted on a rear sub-frame of aluminum extrusions, which is bolted to the main space frame. There is also a sub-frame for the front suspension.
Extruded aluminum frame with stiff tunnel
The main frame consists of 35 aluminum extrusions - basically tubular members, but not of regular shape - joined together by nine special castings and then built by Budd/Thyssen Krupp for Ford. The structure is completed by a number of aluminum panels.
To make it easier to get in and out of the car than the GT40, the sills are quite shallow, and most of the stiffness for the frame is provided by the central tunnel, the floor, windscreen pillars, the roof and the bulkhead behind the seats. The resulting structure is light and very stiff.
To get that million dollar look to the outside, Ford uses superplastic aluminum panels for the most of the exterior panels - formed by a specialist body builder, Mayflower. Superplastic aluminum is a special material that softens at low temperature and so can be formed to complex shapes with low-cost dies. Ideal for supercars., although most use carbon fiber composites. Like the GT40, the hood and engine compartment lid hinge up to give good access.
Pushrod suspension at the front
Unlike the conventional wishbone front suspension of the GT40, the GT has pushrod suspension at the front. To keep weight down, the links are aluminum. The pushrods act through levers to the horizontal spring/damper units, presumably to copy current Grand Prix car practice. With the larger suspension travel you get on a road car, this is not necessarily the best solution, because it results in very short damper travel.
At the rear, the suspension consists of conventional wishbones and spring/damper units.
Large Brembo brakes
Large four-piston Brembo brake callipers are used to give plenty of stopping power, and the wheels are 18 inch at the front and 19 inch at the rear, carrying 45% aspect ratio tires - meaning that the depth of the tire section is 45% of the width. The Europeans go for 35 or 40% these days, but Ford thought 45% would give a better combination of ride and handling.
Inside the car is supposed to mirror the GT40, and it does. The seat cushions on the original were thin and ventilated with rows of holes. The cushions were suspended between side rails, to give air flow below. The seats of the GT look similar, as does the instrument panel which is recessed into the dash. The toggle switches look rather cheap, though, and not up to supercar status.
Terrific value with the looks of a true exotic
So there it is. Ford's entry into the supercar class has truly shove-in-the-back power, good handling, and is reasonably comfortable and practical.
It could be lighter, though. Despite that aluminum frame it doesn't compete with the Europeans on weight - it weighs in at 3,485 lb, which is about the same as the new Mustang GT - now that is a surprise! It also weighs 400 lb more than the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo. And these are the cars it competes against in performance, although they do cost twice as much!
A true GT with proven 205 mph top speed
A true GT? It looks like it, and Ford is to be congratulated on updating a great concept. Yes, the Ford GT is not just very fast - it has been timed at the Nardo track in Italy at 205 mph - but can compete with the Porsche Carrera GT, seen as the benchmark for exotic supercars, in performance. On top of that, it is amazingly good value. If this is your sort of car - grab one!
Or get a GT40 kit car!
If you missed out, then there is a much cheaper alternative - a GT40 replica kit car. There are small firms making these in the UK (TS Tornado and others), the USA (ERA GT40), South Africa (CAV GT) and Australia (Roaring Forties GT), and maybe elsewhere. Kit prices start at about $20,000 and you can get a complete car less power train for around $65,000.
In the UK, many of these kits used to be powered by Rover 3.5 liter V-8s, but Ford V-8s are now common. This all means that you can get the looks of the GT40 plus the performance. As these are made by small firms don't expect true supercar build quality. But you'll get a tremendous amount of fun for your money.
