Ford GT Production Has Officially Begun
December 16th marked the official start to Ford’s production-ready version of the Ford GT, as the very first car rolled off the line. Car number one is finished in a particularly menacing black paint with racing strips running down the middle, matching the enormous Brembo brakes. It will be heading home to a very lucky owner, one of very few chosen to buy the GT.
The Ford GT’s path to production hasn’t necessarily been a straight forward one. We first saw the car in prototype form in 2015, and it has been entangled in some “weird” stories along the way. Earlier this year we saw reports that Ford dealers were being asked to upgrade their facilities to accommodate maintenance on car, to the tune of tens of thousands. Let’s also not forget the two test drivers that were caught speeding in Colorado during the development phase.
Strange hiccups aside, it is finally here, and that is a great thing, because it is a very promising car. The GT’s 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 is reported to produce over 600 horsepower, which is a lot. Thankfully, it can put all of that incredible aero work to the test. Note the air channels through the front hood and over the rear hunches. There is real down force at play with the new GT, derived straight from the race car variant. Power will be channeled through a 7-speed dual clutch automated manual transmission. The mid-engined, rear-wheel drive architecture is bespoke to the GT and is just as exotic as any of the Italians. Naturally, liberal use of aluminum and carbon fiber is at work.
Regarding the occasion of the first production model leaving the factory, Ford executive vice president, global product development, and chief technical officer said, “When we kicked off 2016, we had two primary objectives for our Ford GT supercar – to excel at Le Mans, and to start deliveries before year-end… we’ve achieved both.”
The expected price tag for all of this road and racing excellence? $400,000. Not that it matters, because the first batch of GT’s is hyper exclusive and sold out. Hop in line for round two, it will be worth the wait.