Ford GT |
|---|
|
| Topic Navigation |
|---|
|
Wikipedia: Ford GT
Page Sections History Video Photographs Merchandise Article Index |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Ford GT page on 2 October 2019, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Ford GT is an American mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by Ford for model year 2005 in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year.
The GT recalls Ford's historically significant GT40, a consecutive four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1966–1969), including a 1-2-3 finish in 1966.
First generation (2005–2006)
The Ford GT began life as a concept car designed in anticipation of the automaker's centennial year and as part of its drive to showcase and revive its "heritage" names such as Mustang and Thunderbird. At the 2002 North American International Auto Show , Ford unveiled a new GT40 Concept car. Camilo Pardo, the then head of Ford's "Living Legends" studio, is credited as the chief designer of the GT and worked under the guidance of J Mays. Carroll Shelby, the original designer of the Shelby GT 500, was brought in by Ford to help develop the GT; which included performance testing of the prototype car. While under development, the project was called Petunia.
The GT is similar in outward appearance to the original GT40, but is bigger, wider, and most importantly 4 in (100 mm) taller than the original's 40 in (100 cm) overall height; as a result, a potential name for the car was the GT44. Although the cars are visually related, structurally, there is no similarity between the modern GT and the 1960s GT40 that inspired it. Three pre-production cars were shown to the public in 2003 as part of Ford's centenary celebrations, and delivery of the production version called simply the Ford GT began in the fall of 2004.
As the Ford GT was built as part of the company's 100th anniversary celebration, the left headlight cluster was designed to read "100".
A British company, Safir Engineering, who built continuation GT40 cars in the 1980s, owned the "GT40" trademark at that time. When production of the continuation cars ended, they sold the excess parts, tooling, design, and trademark to a small Ohio based company called Safir GT40 Spares. This company licensed the use of the "GT40" trademark to Ford for the initial 2002 show car. When Ford decided to put the GT40 concept to production stage, negotiations between the two firms failed, thus the production cars are simply called the GT.
Second generation (2017–present)
At the 2015 North American International Auto Show and at the unveiling of the 2015 racing video game Forza Motorsport 6, a new, redesigned Ford GT was shown to the public with plans for production in 2016. The car marked 50 years since the GT40 won the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans and competed successfully in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans to better celebrate the anniversary, winning the LMGTE Pro class.
The car is powered by a 3,496 cc (3.5 L; 213.3 cu in) Twin-turbocharged Ford EcoBoost V6 engine generating a power output of 647 hp (482 kW; 656 PS) and 550 lb⋅ft (746 N⋅m) of torque. The engine shares many components with the F-150's 3.5 L V6 engine including the cylinder heads, block and dual fuel system. Notable differences include larger turbochargers, an aluminum intake manifold, a custom dry sumped lubrication system, unique camshafts and higher strength rotating and timing drive components.
According to Ford, "the GT will exhibit one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any production car," courtesy of its lightweight carbon fiber construction. Underpinning the GT is a carbon fiber monocoque bolted to aluminum front and rear subframes covered in carbon fiber body panels. The car also has a race inspired pushrod suspension system, active aerodynamics, and dihedral (butterfly) doors. The windshield of the vehicle is made of Gorilla Glass manufactured by Corning, which is also used for manufacturing smartphone screens. The Gorilla Glass is used to reduce the weight of the vehicle by allowing for a thinner windscreen with the same strength as a normal glass windscreen. The GT employs a four-stage external dry sump oil pump and has an oil capacity of 15.3 US quarts (14.5 L).
Production began in December 2016, with a planned production rate of one car per day at Ford's new, low-volume assembly facility at Multimatic in Markham, Ontario, Canada until October 2020. The cars produced for the 2017 and 2018 model years are reserved for selected buyers, the cars produced for the 2019 model year are for buyers who passed over in the initial selection process, and the cars produced for the 2020 model year are for normal customers.
 |
Photo ©2008 Bill Crittenden Richmond, llinois Cruise Night: June 13, 2008 View video of Ford GT - 1,967KB |
 |
Photo ©2004 Bill Crittenden 2004 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Ford GT - 700KB |
 |
2005 for $240,0002013 Mecum Chicago Auction Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden View photo of 2005 Ford GT - 3.5MB |
 |
2005 for $240,000 2013 Mecum Chicago Auction Photo ©2013 Bill Crittenden View photo of 2005 Ford GT - 3.4MB |
 |
Photo ©2006 John Walczak 2006 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Ford GT - 782KB |
 |
Photo ©2006 John Walczak 2006 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Ford GT - 887KB |
 |
Photo ©2006 John Walczak 2006 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Ford GT - 967KB |
 |
Photo ©2006 John Walczak 2006 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Ford GT - 810KB |
 |
Photo by Lisa Rowell Somernites Cruise View photo of Ford GT - 2,447KB |
 |
Photo ©2008 Bill Crittenden 2008 Lakemoor Dollars For Scholars Car Show September 7, 2008 View photo of Ford GT - 3,902KB |
 |
Photo ©2006 Bill Crittenden As shown at the October 2006 Meeting of C.A.R.S. in Miniature View photo of Ford GT Model - 274KB |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Die Cast - Bigtime Muscle 20003 | 2005 Ford GT | 1:32 scale, dark red w/white stripes |
| Die Cast - Matchbox K9474-0910 | 2005 Ford GT | MBX Metal, 1:62 scale, gold w/black stripes |
| Die Cast - Matchbox H1848 | Ford GT | MBX Metal, 1:62 scale, red w/white stripes |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 6 January 2004 | Local Designers create sculpture from parts off Ford's hottest new vehicle | Michael Chetcuti |
