Autoweek Sources: GT return, Le Mans effort “confirmed”
- Thread starter dbk
- Start date
PL510*Jeff
Well-known member
All this makes no sense to me. Our Ford GT was announced several years before actual production. There was a lot of hype, magazine articles on the prototypes, testing, repeated announcements and news releases etc..we all knew it was coming well in advance and were slobbering all over ourselves to get one. It was intentionally planned that way.
The Ford GT took a herculean effort with a myriad of suppliers to be able to be ready for delivery is a very short time.
We are now less then 3 weeks from a new Ford GT announcement with the car being ready for LeMans in June????? There has been not one shred of evidence of any new car, no specifics nothing, no spy shots, no leaks nothing. Doesn't make sense to me but hey, I don't profess to be an expert on the auto industry.
Is this new car going to run in the "prototype" class? Would have to since none have been produced to qualify for GT classes.
How has Ford kept such a secret in their involvement in the design and building of such a car ready to compete on the world stage for the first time at LeMans without any testing that anyone knows of before hand? While debuting a new at LeMans is a great opportunity it is also a great opportunity to get embarrassed if your ducks are not in a row. Seems like this new GT would have been tested and would be still in testing somewhere that would be seen and known about somewhere. I would think anyway.
Also, if this is a racing prototype it is likely years away from civilian production and DOT certification I would think.
This is not adding up to me.
Just saying.
The Ford GT took a herculean effort with a myriad of suppliers to be able to be ready for delivery is a very short time.
We are now less then 3 weeks from a new Ford GT announcement with the car being ready for LeMans in June????? There has been not one shred of evidence of any new car, no specifics nothing, no spy shots, no leaks nothing. Doesn't make sense to me but hey, I don't profess to be an expert on the auto industry.
Is this new car going to run in the "prototype" class? Would have to since none have been produced to qualify for GT classes.
How has Ford kept such a secret in their involvement in the design and building of such a car ready to compete on the world stage for the first time at LeMans without any testing that anyone knows of before hand? While debuting a new at LeMans is a great opportunity it is also a great opportunity to get embarrassed if your ducks are not in a row. Seems like this new GT would have been tested and would be still in testing somewhere that would be seen and known about somewhere. I would think anyway.
Also, if this is a racing prototype it is likely years away from civilian production and DOT certification I would think.
This is not adding up to me.
Just saying.
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Joe Dozzo
Well-known member
Small point, but wasn't it June 2016? Still, as much as I'd like to see a new GT, I think your arguments are all directly on point.
Oops. My bad. You are right. 2016. However, I as you noted still think my points hold. 1 1/2 years out to have a fully developed car is a very short time to compete in LeMans ...I think...and it would still be years off for public consumption...I think.
FBA
GT Owner
Nissan will have a new LMP1 car racing in the WEC and at Le Mans in 2015. The car did not exist other than on paper until late this year, the first tests were in November. No pictures other than inaccurate renderings exist on the internet that I’m aware of. The car will be revealed as a cameo in a super bowl add.
While the Nissan timeline is not ideal, it is possible the new “GT” program is almost one year ahead of the Nissan effort. This is just an example of how the timing is not out of the realm of reality.
While the Nissan timeline is not ideal, it is possible the new “GT” program is almost one year ahead of the Nissan effort. This is just an example of how the timing is not out of the realm of reality.
bonehead
GT Owner
Regardless of the timeline, if Ford plans on producing homologated street versions of a LeMans racecar, it would have to be the most well kept automotive secret of all time. Not a peep from anyone from Ford, no test mules roaming about, not one spy pic from any of the automotive paparazzi. Suppose it's possible for a skunkworks to keep a GT-class or LMP racecar under wraps since the team involved would be relatively small and contained. But I personally don't see how there could be any production car prototype ready for NAIAS without some shred of tangible evidence.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I've been saying this too, here and other places.... Glad to see someone else is seeing the gaps.
Well, they took a Lola and made the GT40 out of it, but it took Shelby another season to make it a winning car...
Secondly, it was a pure race vehicle without any of the now current safety and EPA regulations to meet. The NHTSA crash tests alone require the building of more than a handful of vehicles that most likely would be seen.
The GT40 street vehicles happened later. So what about the possibility they are taking existing race platform and making a steet version of it? Remember if they are serious about a racing win they are going to start with a by design racing platform and make a street car from it. As such you might not be very happy with the street results. With Ganassi now the Ford racing team they already have a car that could be "brought down" to street performance. Everyone wants to think that the new car will be a third generation GT40. I think that has almost no chance of happening. Remember that the GT40 gave way right away to new designs (the Porsche 917 among others). So as a GT class car, derived from the existing Ganassi platform could be the shortcut to getting something done in the next 6 months.
Whatever it is has been happening "any day now" for over a year. Firs it was last summer, then it was this fall, then SEMA, then LA (which yielded the new GT350 instead), now Detroit. Always tomorrow. So given the lead times for a truly homologated car to be ready for sale to the public in volumes of a minimum of 100 sold, built and delivered in time for 2015 runs (really, it has to run somewhere before Le Mans in 2016) the time is really almost out...
I still hope they can pull it off.
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SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
For the 2015 Nissan effort I personally know of people that have been working on the nuts and bolts for a year now and some of the drivers that have been hired giving the effort 18 months minimum. As for a new Ford GT and rumored CGR involvement, they have been developing the V-6 Ecoboost for over a year and it has preformed well. That just leaves the chassis and if the target is 3 weeks to showcase and June 2016 to race, I would think that would be enough time.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
Seriously, announce in January, and with no track time on the car and no time for the racing team to become familiar with the car we'll just go to LeMans? The only ones I've ever known to be successful at putting on a successful show in Dad's barn were Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
They will need a full season in other venues to even get invited to Le Mans. This means that for all intents and purposes, the car has to exist in some form. We'll see what the FIA press conference is all about.
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
Exactly, if the program is real and they show a car in 3 weeks that leaves 18 months before 2016 Le Mans to shake it out. IMO very doable. My guess is if Ford wants to do a factory effort the Le Mans stewards will welcome them with open arms. As for other venues, CGR already dominates in the best series to shake down a sports car in.
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Seriously, announce in January, and with no track time on the car and no time for the racing team to become familiar with the car we'll just go to LeMans? The only ones I've ever known to be successful at putting on a successful show in Dad's barn were Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
We'll see what the FIA press conference is all about.
Agreed. Bingo.
What I would like to see even more is Ford getting behind an effort to campaign our Ford GT. They should have been behind this car at the outset instead of private teams with limited budgets. Matech did a fantastic job but I think there would have been more success with Ford $$$ behind the effort. I think the Ford GT is still a competitive platform and can be made a winner with the right team and resources and $$$ behind it. Chassis was years ahead of its time back then.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Just FYI Tony, the chassis CGR uses for their DP entries is a Riley that meets the DP Gen3 criteria and can be fitted under just about any cosmetic exterior i.e it fits both the CGR Ford and Corvette DP bodywork. That's not something Ford ever would or could use as a basis for a street car.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
Then all of the easy paths that could have generated a full production vehicle in three months have been exhausted.
OK, OK, I know how they're going to do it:
Hey Rocky, Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat
OK, OK, I know how they're going to do it:
Hey Rocky, Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat
Then all of the easy paths that could have generated a full production vehicle in three months have been exhausted.
OK, OK, I know how they're going to do it:
Hey Rocky, Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat
:lol
I still don't understand why they can bring the Ford GT up to date and campaign it?:frown
Just in case I missed it, what makes you think they would have to generate a production vehicle in three months?
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
If they go to experimental class they don't have a problem (just get invited)
If they want to run in the GTE class there are two hurdles:
The car has to be homologated with 100 units sold to the public before it can be raced, and producing a car for sale to mere mortals has so much government red tape that unless it was done on the dark side of the moon it would seem me the cars would have been sighted by the guys with their spy cameras and to be unlikely it could be accomplished in time. Crash test, EPA tests, etc. all require production cars be tested. Unless it is Mustang based, I know of no other platform.
Next, It would be highly risky to build a car and take it to LeMans without any track trials both with the car and the racing team.
That is why I think they are late for 2016. I thought they were grooming the GT for the comeback with Robertson and Matech.
But maybe they have some magic in the hat. I hope because I want to see them pull it off more than me.
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2112
Blue/white 06'
What needs to change in our GT's to meet current regulations? An entirely new roof or even more than that?