Top speed king goes to the new Ford GT supercar
Ford has revealed some of the long awaited performance figures of the new Ford GT supercar.
The all new 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 is said to produce 475kW, powering the GT on to a top speed of 348km/h. Although the power figure is slightly down on the GT’s main rivals (the Ferrari 488 and McLaren 675LT), when it comes to top speed the Ford GT has the legs on both of them. 746Nm of torque at 5900rpm and a seven speed dual clutch transmission will see the GT to 100km/h in an estimated 3.2 seconds, however no official figure from Ford has been quoted as of yet. Fuel consumption is rated at 16.8L/100km, so expect over 25l/100km or worse.
Despite being crowned the fastest production Ford ever made, Ford have claimed that top speed figures have not come at the expense of on-track performance. Gone are the days of the aluminium chassis- such as that found in the new GT’s predecessor. . A fixed seating position with an adjustable pedal box and steering wheel help maintain the GT’s low centre of gravity for optimal performance.
The dramatic swooping bodywork of the Ford GT isn’t all bark and no bite either. Ford Performance Chief Engineer Jameel Hameedi stated that the design of the tapering fuselage behind the cockpit ”comes from a Formula One or an LMP1 car” to allow for cleaner airflow to the rear wing. On top extensive track testing, active aerodynamics ensure the cars ability to adapt to changing demands and have Ford claiming that the GT will be faster around a track than its main rivals.
Deliveries of the Ford GT have finally begun 2 years after its debut at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. The original production run of 500 units has also been doubled following the unprecedented public response to the new vehicle, as well as Ford’s four-year commitment to race the GT in IMSA and WEC following class victory in the 2016 Le Mans 24 hour.
