Ford GT
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- This page refers to the concept and production cars of 2002 and later; for the mid-1960s race car, see Ford GT40.
The Ford GT began as a concept car designed in anticipation of Ford's centennial year and as part of its drive to showcase and revive its "heritage" names such as Mustang and Thunderbird. Camilo Pardo, the head of Ford's "Living Legends" studio, is credited as the chief designer of the GT and worked under the guidance of J Mays. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's classic GT40 race cars of the 1960s and the GT is sometimes mistaken for its 1960s counterpart.
Positive response on the auto show circuit in 2002 helped persuade the company to produce the car in limited quantities, and the first production versions appeared in 2003. It is a very high-performance, two-seater vehicle with a strong styling resemblance to its racing ancestor and performance to match. The powerplant is a mid-mounted supercharged 5.4 liter V8, producing 550 horsepower (410 kW) and 500 foot-pounds (678 Nm) of torque. Top speed is 205 mph (355 km/h).
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[edit] Development
At the 1995 Detroit Auto Show, the Ford GT90 concept was shown and at the 2002 show, a new GT40 Concept was unveiled by Ford.
The GT is similar to the original Ford GT40 cars, but bigger, wider, and three inches taller than the original 40 inches (1.02 m) - as a result of which, a potential name for the car was the GT43. Three production prototype cars were shown in 2003 as part of Ford's centenary, and delivery of the production Ford GT began in the fall of 2004
A British company, Safir Engineering, who made continuation GT40s in the 1980s owned the GT40 trademark at that time, and when they completed production, they sold the excess parts, tooling, design, and tradmark to a small Ohio company called Safir GT40 Spares. Safir GT40 Spares licensed the use of the GT40 trademark to Ford for the initial 2002 show car, but when Ford decided to make the production vehicle, negotiations between the two failed, and as a result the new Ford GT does not wear the badge GT40. It is rumored that Safir GT40 Spares asked $40 million dollars for the rights, but this has never been verified. The partners at Safir GT40 Spares state they have correspondence from Ford declining Safir's $8 million offer. Early cars from the 1960s were simply named "Ford GT". The name "GT40" was the name of Ford's project to prepare the cars for the international endurance racing circuit, and the quest to win the 24 Hours of LeMans. The first 12 prototype vehicles carried serial numbers GT-101 through GT-112. The "production" began and the subsequent cars, the MkI, MkIIs, MkIIIs, and MkVs, numbered GT40-P-1000 through GT40-P-1145, were officially "GT40s". The name of Ford's project, and the serial numbers, thus show the story that "GT40" was only the car's nickname to be false.
[edit] Production and sales
Production startup began in spring 2004, with a projected total volume of 4500 cars. The first customers took delivery in September 2004. The GT was assembled and painted by Saleen in their Saleen Special Vehicles facility in Troy, Michigan. The GT is powered by an engine built at Ford's Romeo Engine Plant in Romeo, Michigan. Installation of the engine and transmission along with interior finishing was handled in the SVT building at Ford's Wixom, Michigan plant.
Of the 4,500 GTs originally planned, approximately 100 were to be exported to Europe, starting in late 2005. An additional 200 were destined for sale in Canada. When production ended in 2006, the full planned lot of 4500 were not produced. Approximately 550 were built in 2004, nearly 1900 in 2005, and just over 1600 in 2006, for a grand total of 4038.
As with many highly desirable new vehicles, when the Ford GT was first released, the demand severely outpaced supply, and the cars initially sold for premium prices. The first unit available to the public sold at a charity auction for over $500,000 to a retired Microsoft executive. Other early cars sold for as much as a $100,000 premium over the suggested retail price range of $140,000 to $157,000, depending on selected optional equipment. Independent sources, such as FordGTPrices.com began gathering figures on production, sales, and selling prices; and posting that information as a resource for buyers and sellers. By June 2005, retail sale prices had dropped to around $10,000 to $20,000 over MSRP, and in August 2005 several new GTs were sold on eBay for no more than the suggested retail price. Nevertheless, recognizing that there was ongoing demand and support for the car, Ford raised the base sticker by $10,000 to $149,995 in late 2005.
The production run of the GT ended with the 2006 model year on 21 September 2006, with 4038 cars produced [1], and the Wixom Assembly plant, where the GT was finish-assembled, is scheduled for closure in 2007[citation needed]. Sales of the GT continued into 2007, from cars held in storage and in dealer inventories.
[edit] Ford GTX1
In November 2005 a Ford GTX1, a roadster version of the Ford GT was unveiled in Las Vegas. The $48,000 aftermarket conversion is performed by the Genaddi Design Group, but endorsed by Ford.
[edit] Performance and Engineering
The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded center tunnel, a “ship-in-a-bottle” gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fiber inner panel.
Brakes are four-piston aluminum Brembo calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine are visible.
The 5.4L V8 powerplant is all-aluminum and fed by a Lysholm screw-type supercharger. It features unique 4-valve DOHC cylinder heads and a forged rotating assembly. It uses an aluminum block designed by Ford specifically for the GT program with an emphasis on block rigidity. The resulting power output is 550 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. A Ricardo six-speed manual transmission is fitted featuring a helical limited-slip differential.
Perfomance (mph):(Source: Road & Track)
0-60: 3.8 s
0-100: 8.8 s
Topspeed: 210 mph
Top lap time-Nürburgring Nordschleife (as indicated by Octane magazine, 11/05):
7:42s
[edit] Fuel Consumption
The US EPA mileage estimate for the GT is 13 mpg in city driving, and 21 mpg in highway cruising, for a combined 16 mpg (18.1/11.2 & 14.7L/100km combined).[1] Similar vehicles, like the Lamborghini Murcielago and Ferrari F430, rate at 10 city / 15 highway for 12 mpg combined, and 13 city / 17 highway for 14 combined, respectively.[2]
[edit] Editorial Comments
According to an article titled "Damn the Corvettes, Full Boost Ahead" by Richard Holdener in the June 2006 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine, the magazine tested a completely stock Ford GT on a chassis dyno. The GT put out "nearly" 550 rear-wheel horsepower and "right at" 500 lb-ft of torque. Note that these rear-wheel numbers match the advertised ratings at the flywheel. This suggests that the Ford GT actually produces much more power than advertised when parasitic driveline loss is accounted for. Though underrating engine output on supercars is not necessarily a new practice (former GM engineers have admitted that the ZL1 Camaro and Corvettes produced much closer to 600 hp than their advertised 425, and Ford engineers have admitted that the FE series 428 Cobra Jet was quite underrated) this is rare today, especially for a supercar, where horsepower in that exclusive club confers bragging rights. Note that the GT is also not the only recent supercharged Ford car to be underrated: MM&FF also found that chassis dyno tests on the 2003-04 "Terminator" Mustang Cobras with the supercharged 4.6 DOHC V8s showed them to also produce close to the advertised flywheel horsepower rating at the rear wheels.
The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch wheels and tires, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car's profile at the integrated “ducktail” spoiler.
Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in Ford's modular 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine. The finishing touches are Ford blue cam covers, each featuring an aluminum coil cover imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”
[edit] Problems
Early production Ford GT experienced many minor problems (including glitches with the electrical and climate control systems, leaking power steering and engine coolant hoses, and a steering column rattle on some cars), and two bigger problems.
In December of 2004, Ford recalled all Ford GTs that had been built up to that point (448 units were built, but only 283 had been shipped to dealers, and only 106 had been delivered to retail customers) because of concerns regarding the strength of the suspension control arms. They had been "squash cast" for added strength, a new process also used by Porsche and Alfa Romeo. But after Ford discovered a crack in one of the high-mileage development cars, the company decided to replace the parts on all the production cars. Ford is not the only manufacturer of exotic cars to have such problems, for example, a similar problem was found on the Ferrari F40.[2]
There was also a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) to inspect the engine on early cars built in 2004 for an oil leak at the main seal. The finish of some crankshafts was flawed, causing an oil leak. Ford dealers stopped the leak with a new main seal and a "Speedi-Sleeve" around the crankshaft, a device commonly used to repair worn engines in older cars. Some journalists felt that this was an improper fix for an expensive supercar and criticized Ford for not either replacing the defective crankshaft or replacing the entire engine.[3]
There are a few other TSBs for the car, including the need for hose clamps to be adjusted or replaced.
[edit] Jeremy Clarkson
The UK automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson was one of the first 28 GT owners in the UK. However, as documented on Top Gear and in his column in The Times newspaper, his GT was delivered late, and had ongoing problems with its official UK importer fitted (aftermarket) anti-theft alarm[3] According to Clarkson, the alarm would activate while he was in the car, and sometimes activating every 15 or so minutes for an extended period of time. This led Clarkson to return it to Ford in June 2005 for a full refund - however, he subsequently bought the car back less than 2 months later at a higher price. When reviewing the GT, Clarkson compared it to the Ford GT40: he barely fit into the GT, while a portion of his head laid outside of the GT40 when the doors closed.[4] The GT has now been sold and replaced with a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. The car became a running gag of sorts where Clarkson would comment on how his GT has broken down during news segments. Some of the more notable events in the GT's history are:
- The GT was featured in a Season 7 episode of Top Gear along with a Pagani Zonda and a Ferrari F430. A major traffic jam in Paris was created when the Pagani Zonda and it tried to get out of a parking garage. However, it ended up barely scraping the pavement due to height issues. Also, the GT suffered from atrocious fuel economy, requiring multiple fuel stops, with Jeremy running out of money, coincidentally. In this episode, Clarkson said he liked the Ford GT so much he bought his twice.[5]
- In the last episode of Season 7, during the Top Gear Awards, Clarkson awarded the Ford GT the "Gas Guzzler" award, beating out the Range Rover (8MPG), the Bugatti Veyron (4MPG), and (as a joke) the Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire (60 Million gallons and never moved an inch).[6]
- In the first episode of Season 8 Top Gear, Clarkson declared that the Ford GT "is the most unreliable car ever made." The declaration stemmed from the usage of a trickle charger which didn't charge the battery after exploding (in the first incident) and apparently (as described by Clarkson) frying part of the electrical start system (in the second incident). This was later found to be the fault of a defective charger.[7]
- James May, of BBC’s Top Gear magazine reported, in the form of an editorial that he accompanied Jeremy Clarkson on a shopping trip to look at a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Apparently Clarkson became so smitten with the Italian super-car during the filming of a Top Gear segment that he has replaced his Ford GT with one.[citation needed]
- In a Top Gear episode, first shown on 18th February 2007, Clarkson confirmed that he had sold the GT and bought himself a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. He then moved the Ford GT from Seriously Uncool to Sub Zero now that he no longer owns one.
- Clarkson commented that while the biofuel they planted in episode 5 of season 9 was enough to power a family car for 90,000 miles, he also said (with astonishment) that it might just be enough to get his ford GT to the shops and back.
[edit] Video Games
- Gran Turismo 4 uses a GT as its display car for the game. A heavily modified racing version appears both on the cover, in the FMV Intro, and in the game itself. Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi owns a Ford GT. A story featuring the Ford GT, GT4 and Yamauchi appears on Edmunds.com's Inside Line.
- An obvious clone of the GT appears in GTA: San Andreas, under the name "Bullet".
- Forza Motorsport features the Ford GT as one of the cars purchaseable in game and also the Ford GT-40 MK II.
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted features two versions of the Ford GT, both as a stock car and the Castrol version.
- Project Gotham Racing 2 features the Ford GT.
- Project Gotham Racing 3 features the returning Ford GT as one of the cars purchaseable in game.
- Test Drive Unlimited features the Ford GT as one of the cars purchaseable in game.
- Need For Speed: Carbon features the returning Ford GT. It is also the car driven by one of the main characters.
- Enthusia Professional Racing Has a Ford GT available.
- Sega GT 2002 Has a Ford GT Concept available for unlock and purchase. It is also featured on the cover.
- Driver 3 Like GTA, has clone of GT in Miami level.
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 features the Ford GT.
- Ford StreetRacing features 1995 Ford GT90 Concept and 2005 Ford GT as well as other Ford cars.
- Forza Motorsport 2 features the Ford GT and Ford GT-40 MK II.
[edit] Racing
- The GT is currently in use in Super GT's GT300 class driven by Hidetoshi Mitsusada and Daisuke Ikeda. It is currently the only Ford GT that is being raced in any major motorsport championship in the world.
- Doran Racing is in the process of developing a Ford GT for use in the American LeMans GT2 class.[8]
- There is also a Ford GT being developed by the Belgian based PSI Experience racing team for the GT3 class in FIA.[9]
[edit] Other
- Can be seen in the background in the new Pennzoil commercials.
- Forms the vehicle mode for the Transformers Alternators Mirage, and Kiss Players Hot Rodimus figures.
- Batou drives one in the Solid State Society OVA.
- The Ford GT is one of many supercars that appear in Redline.
[edit] References
- ^ Gas Mileage of 2005 Ford GT fueleconomy.gov
- ^ Gas Mileage of 2005 Two Seaters fueleconomy.gov
- ^ http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-1677058,00.html
- ^ Top Gear, Season 4, Episode 8 2004.07.18
- ^ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 3 2005.11.27
- ^ Top Gear, Season 7, Episode 6 2005.12.27
- ^ Top Gear, Season 8, Episode 1 2006.05.07
- ^ Ford GT TV
- ^ AutoWeek: Sports Car Briefs
[edit] External links
- Ford GT video, review and photographs
- Official American Site
- Official Canadian Site
- Motor Trend GT Report
- 2005 Ford GT
- Doran-Kuttner Ford GTR
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