17 Things you need to know about the 2017 Ford GT Supercar

[Sinovac]

My Corvette friends are feeling a little impotent.

Dave, was this car truly a surprise to the Ren Center?

 

[dbk]

My Corvette friends are feeling a little impotent.

Dave, was this car truly a surprise to the Ren Center?

I would say fairly surprised. They knew there was a mid-engine products in the works, but little beyond that. My guess is they expected something closer to 05 GT 2.0 or a pure concept. I had dinner several months ago with a GM friend that had heard some vague insinuations. I tried to get info on their midengine deal out of him but all he would say is that he thought they were incapable of designing a mid-engine product that looked as good as whatever Ford was coming up with. Because of Reuss' talking too loud we at least know it's a V8...

 

[nautoncall]

New Ford GT, midengine Corvette or Zoro or whatever it's gonna be called. What great times for American cars!!! Just hope Chevrolet keeps it fairly exclusive and doesn't produce 100,000 of them and whether high performance or "base" model they all look relatively the same.

 

[Bill Briley]

I reeeeely like the car.......

That being said - I hate the lack of support Ford has given all of us "Old GT" owners !! ("We don't need no Stinking Gauges!) ( What replacement parts?)

I have eliminated Ford products from the Co. fleet because of it. Guess I'm cantankerous .

 

[Xcentric]

What's up with the door bottoms? Looks like you could put a dead hooker in each door.

Any views of the engine bay? It looks tiny. Could it ever accommodate a future V8 option (ala R8 V8 or V10)?

 

[roketman]

It's going to rock the supercar world for sure

 

[Vince H]

I can't tell you all how great I think the new GT is. Partially because I'm a GT fanatic, partially because I'm a Ford fan and finally because it's an AMERICAN SUPER CAR! This slice of sweetness ticks all my boxes.

Vince H

 

[dbk]

What's up with the door bottoms? Looks like you could put a dead hooker in each door.

Any views of the engine bay? It looks tiny. Could it ever accommodate a future V8 option (ala R8 V8 or V10)?

Same as these. Compact CF tub around wide bodywork.

Engine bay is super tight. Size of the 3.5L TT was integral to fitting within the taper of the hatch that accommodates the crazy open aero elements . I'm sure you could find one to fit in there but the car was designed for this engine specifically and the form follows that.

 

[Xcentric]

Tx. The FGT2 doors look even more boxed at the bottoms than the Ferrari. They are the only slightly off thing I've seen on this magnificent creation. When open, they look massive. I suppose there must be some sound deadening stuff in there. Otherwise they are huge acoustic chambers.

Yeah...I figured a future V8 option was too much to hope for. :/

Did anyone measure the height of the FGT2? I'm sorry, it's hard to keep up with all these threads and posts.

 

[Xcentric]

Automobile mag and Jamal Hameedi

A: Will customers miss it not having a V-8?

H: I’m not concerned. I think the last problem that we’re going to have is finding customers for this car. The EcoBoost V-6 is more efficient, has better horsepower and torque per liter, better fuel economy, more horsepower and torque per kilogram, and it’s extremely package efficient. It really plays well to the tapering fuselage of the car. It really was the ideal choice for an engine.

A: Who will be the typical Ford GT buyer?

H: Obviously, [2005-2006] Ford GT customers. They’ve done quite well with their investment! There will also be a lot of the hypercar buyers. They’ll look at this and see that it’s every bit as advanced as other hypercars, from an aerodynamic aspect, etc.

http://m.automobilemag.com/features/news/1501-ford-gt-engineers-benchmarked-the-ferrari-458-speciale/

Edit: Well, shit. DBK started a thread with this at the exact same time.

 

[B.M.F.]

Tx. The FGT2 doors look even more boxed at the bottoms than the Ferrari. They are the only slightly off thing I've seen on this magnificent creation. When open, they look massive. I suppose there must be some sound deadening stuff in there. Otherwise they are huge acoustic chambers.

Yeah...I figured a future V8 option was too much to hope for. :/

Did anyone measure the height of the FGT2? I'm sorry, it's hard to keep up with all these threads and posts.

41 or 42''/

 

[Mullet]

 

[TO AWSUM]

Just hope Chevrolet keeps it fairly exclusive and doesn't produce 100,000 of them.

I don't understand your comment. Why wouldn't you want to give a non-one percenter the opportunity to own a car like this?

 

[Sinovac]

I had dinner several months ago with a GM friend that had heard some vague insinuations. I tried to get info on their midengine deal out of him but all he would say is that he thought they were incapable of designing a mid-engine product that looked as good as whatever Ford was coming up with.

If he thought that even before seeing the new GT, he must be really disheartened now. Maybe GM can lure away from Ford the 972 designers who are taking credit for the new GT. :lol

 

[Sinovac]

I don't understand your comment. Why wouldn't you want to give a non-one percenter the opportunity to own a car like this?

I agree. Taking that a step further, while I'm glad Ford came out with another supercar, I really hope it leads to a true Corvette competitor. Ford has established its performance bona fides at both ends of the spectrum with the Mustang and FGT/FGT2. Now it's time to fill in the gap in the middle.

 

[Gene Cassone]

the more i look at this car, the more i think it is drop dead gorgeous. Every angle, not a bad view! The smaller V6 allows the lines. Current Ferraris, porsches, and Mclarens: FORGET IT!!!!
One question: Where is the gas tank this time?
Got to have one!!

 

[FENZO]

No need for a bumper delete too!:wink

 

[Kayvan]

It's freaking gorgeous

Ferrari can't come out with another insect inspired model with 3 tailpipes, with a straight face after this ...

 

[Stef]

WOW thats a great looking interior!! Its got to be the best looking interior in a Ford product ever. Im sure no door panels coming loose and falling off this time. Looks to be a snug fit for larger folks but I bet it is comfortable. Hand in glove, a drivers cockpit.

Its looks very GT40....A five year old is sitting with his father in his new 1966 GT40 in the driveway when the boy asks...
"dad when I grow up can I have a car like this, yes son, what will it look like then"

 

[Stef]

From Car & Driver

http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/the-17-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-2017-ford-gt-supercar

1. The GT "concept" Ford put on display in Detroit looks mighty production ready, suggesting that the skunkworks project has been in motion for years. In fact, we're told the car has seen just one year of development work so far—yet the final car is due next year. That's hyperspeed in the car world.

2. Ford expects the first production prototype to be in action this spring. Spy photographers, get ready.

3. The in-house low-cost carbon-fiber development program Ford has fired up in collaboration with Dow Chemical has little to do with the GT project. In fact, the carbon fiber in the GT's chassis tub and bodywork will be hand-laid and production probably will be handled by an outside supplier.

4. When Ford's global performance vehicle chief engineer Jamal Hameedi started to tell us how his team was targeting "the best power-to-weight ratio," we figured the sentence would end with "in its class." Nope. Hameedi instead capped off the claim with "of any car on the market." Ford has yet to reveal the GT's weight, but we're expecting it to be crazy light. As for the engine, Ford promises more than 600 horsepower.

(FORD GT FORUM CORRECTION - The above quote is a mis-attribution. Jamal said "among the best of any car on the market.")

5. The GT on Ford's Detroit show stand rolled on normal aluminum wheels, in contrast to the Mustang Shelby GT350R sitting nearby; that car has ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber wheels. Given how fanatical Ford is being about the GT's weight, you'd think these high-tech and mass-reducing rims would be on the GT, too. Ford tells us it is looking at the possibility.

6. The GT's rear spoiler is full of tricks, including an air-brake function. The wing can both rise vertically and tilt, its horizontal surface angling upward to capture extra downforce and drag when needed.

7. Riding on a what Ford calls an "active" suspension, the GT can lower itself at speed for stability and better aerodynamics. In true supercar form, a button in the cabin can lift the front end when faced with inconsiderately designed driveway ramps and speed humps.

8. Front and rear, the GT features carbon-ceramic Brembo brake rotors and calipers. Just as the Nürburgring is practically a required stop on any vehicle development engineer's world tour, so apparently are Brembo's offices.

9. There's no question about it: The 2017 GT will be fast. But Ford didn't set out to grab top-speed records or acceleration honors. Instead, we're told Ford is chasing "lap times, lap times, lap times" and is seeking ultimate handling. Oh, and Ford is planning to take the GT to Le Mans in 2016—the street car partially exists for homologation reasons—and is putting Ferrari in its crosshairs. The 1960s are back, baby.

10. As you probably already ascertained, this is the front of the Ford GT. It doesn't have anything in it—well, besides a radiator, some cool heat-exhausting vents, and the pushrod-actuated front suspension. There is no electric motor powering the front axle, as there is in Porsche's 918 Spyder, and neither is there one in the back. Ford didn't want to sacrifice low weight for heavy hybrid components like motors and batteries. Oh, and the sports car is intended to showcase Ford's EcoBoost engine branding, a mission that'd be complicated by a hybrid system.

11. One of our favorite things about the GT is the way its passenger cell tapers to nearly a point at the car's tail, and the channels that create between the "fuselage" and the rear wheels. Far more than a flamboyant flourish, these pathways force the air to bend and submit to the GT's will. The flying buttresses linking the roof to each rear fender may appear flat, but they are in fact curved in section. This is because they're really wings—cut them in half, and they're airfoil-shaped. They create downforce, in addition to directing air flowing around the car to the rear spoiler.

12. Amazingly, Ford found a second use for the GT's flying buttresses: intake tubes. Each hollow panel (one per side) houses piping that flows from an air-to-air intercooler ahead of each rear wheel (visible through the large vents on the fenders). Intake air is scooped up from beneath the GT, compressed in each turbocharger, and then shot through the intercoolers before twisting its way up the winglets and down into the engine. Sweet.

13. After passing through the fender-mounted intercoolers, newly heated air then flows above each rear wheel to the GT's tail, where it exits through the centers of the taillights. Yep, the look of those lamps isn't by accident.

(FORD GT FORUM NOTE - The above is correct. There's been some arguing on the net about whether it was for wastegates or what not.)

14. The GT's EcoBoost twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 engine shares far more with the EcoBoost six in Ford's Daytona Prototype LMP2 race car than it does with any roadgoing Ford engine. With more than 600 horsepower, the GT's V-6 earns the awesome "Powered by Ford" branding.

15. Oh yeah, baby, Ford plans on keeping the two colossal, jetfighter-like exhaust outlets right where they are, high up on the rear bumper. Those cannons are just finishers, however—the actual exhaust pipes terminate a few inches ahead of them. We don't care, the openings look the business.

16. With a near-horizontal rear window that's roughly one and a half feet wide, parking is probably going to be the least-fun thing you could do in a GT. So the hyperFord has a backup camera nestled in the nether regions of its diffuser. It makes sense, of course, as the things are federally mandated after 2016.

17. According to Ford VP of design Moray Callum, the styling is 95 percent complete. That last 5 percent? We're told the GT needs little things like the door mirrors larger than teaspoons and subtle lighting tweaks to be salable. Otherwise, what you see here is what is going to hit driveways. This is fantastic news because, well, just look at the thing.

This is highly impressive exciting stuff. Ford definitely means business. It is making me think our 05/06 cars are now obsolete rare antiquities from a bygone era as compared :facepalm: