2017 Ford GT

Back in the racing heydays of the 50s and 60s, Ferrari was the domination force, and Ford wanted to buy the small Italian company. At the last hour, Enzo Ferrari pulled out of the deal and Henry Ford was infuriated. Ford issued a command to his engineers that they were to build a new car that will trounce the Italians at Le Mans, and he gave them a blank check to make it happen. The car created would be dubbed the Ford GT40, and it went on to win Le Mans four times running. Almost forty years after the GT40, Ford created a modern interpretation simply called the Ford GT. The first-generation Ford GT only lived for two years before its demise, but Ford is now releasing a second-generation GT in 2017, and it is the best one yet.

At the 2015 North American Auto Show in Detroit, Ford pulled the curtain off of the all-new 2017 Ford GT. With a super-light carbon fiber and aluminum construction, a 600-plus horsepower, EcoBoost V-6 and a race-ready cockpit, the latest Ford GT is hands down the bestsupercar in the history of the Blue Oval brand. This new two-door builds on legendary design history with modern materials to hopefully recreate the original car’s success.

The new Ford GT has a design that instantly recognizable when viewed with its older siblings. The mid-engine design lends itself to a long wedge shape, and the car has the signature sloped GT nose with the dual ducts in the front that create a menacing and memorable look. The rear of the car looks far more modern than past GTs, with round hips, crisp cuts near the taillights reminiscent of modern Ferrari 

s, and set of flying buttress wings for extra downforce. There is also a huge set of canon exhaust outlets mounted high-center and the lower part features an aggressive rear diffuser.

The greenhouse is less open and wide than previous cars, making for a more aerodynamic design that tapers inward toward the top. Compared to old cars, the new model is much more sleek, and looks less like a fast wedge carved from a brick.

There are still lots of subtle details that harken back to the old models like the outboard circular taillamps. This new and exciting shape is made from carbon fiber to help reduce overall weight. To make sure the car is as fast as possible while maintain stability, each and every curve you see has been fine-tuned for a specific purpose. The windshield is sloped and rounded to cut drag while improving visibility, and the rear spoiler will actively adjust based on conditions.

With such a different shape, Ford had to give the GT elegant upward-swinging doors to make it easier to enter and exit the cockpit.

Interior

As fitting for such a purposeful machine, the GT’s cockpit is designed for control and usability. The seats are directly integrated into the car’s monocoque shell. This provides a direct connection to the chassis, and gives the driver a better feel for how the car is behaving. With a fixed seating position, the GT has an adjustable steering wheel and pedals to make sure that drivers of various shapes and sizes can get their driving position just right.

Ford has taken a page out of Ferrari’s book, and given the GT an F1-inspired steering wheel with all the needed controls for car function mounted to it. This opens up the steering column and gives you uncluttered access to the shift paddles used to control the ’GTs transmission.

The gauge cluster is just a large LCD display that is configurable to display carious levels of information. There are multiple modes that can be chosen and activated to display different types of information depending on the type of driving, or driver preference.

Drivertrain

While everyone, myself included, expected Ford to dump a forced induction version of the new flat-plane crank V-8 found in the GT350 Mustang, but it threw all of us for a loop. Sitting behind the seats of the GT is a new 3.5-liter, EcoBoost V-6 that makes use of two turbos. This next-generation EcoBoost motor was based on the engine Ford used in its IMSA Daytona Prototype endurance racer. Ford isn’t giving us an exact number, but says this is the most powerful production EcoBoost ever with more than 600 rampaging ponies. No word on torque, but expect it to be a similar number.

Ford is able to squeeze so much power out of such a small engine thanks to a huge pile of enhancements that include a combination port/direct injection system, low-friction roller-finger-follower valvetrain and of course those two turbochargers. Sending that power to the wheels is a seven-speed, dual-clutch transaxle. Sorry kids, there is no manual transmission GT this time.

Thankfully Ford has forgone using any crazy all-wheel-drive system in favor of sticking to the traditional rear-wheel-drive format. Thanks to its low weight, and its huge 20-inch alloys wrapped in sticky Michelin rubber, the GT should easily break the four-second barrier in the 60-mph sprint, and Top Speed should be in the 200-mph range.

Price

The Ford GT will have a starting price of around $400,000, according to Ford Performance boss Dave Pericak. At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Pericak said the GT’s sticker would be near that of the Lamborghini Aventador, which starts from $397,500 in the U.S. Initial rumors said the GT would retail closer to the $150,000 sticker of the previous model.

Additionally, Pericak revealed that the GT will be low-volume supercar, with Ford to build only about 250 per year.