Blast from the Past: Ford’s GT Supercar

What has 500 horsepower, 500 foot-lbs of torque, an aluminum frame and brakes big enough to stop something four times its size? GT40, baby; the one, the only, the GT40.

Sporting a supercharged, 5.4L V8 placed midship and wrapped in an unstressed composite body, the all-new GT40 bears a striking resemblence to its older brother, the infamous Ferrari beating GT40 from days gone by. Ford’s designers did well to keep the new GT40’s resemblence very similar to the infamous GT40 – and we thank them for that. They did manage to eek out about 18 inches of length over the older version, and have adjusted the wheelbase and overall height accordingly.

The prototype GT40 has received great reviews and press from the thousands whoíve seen it in person at various high-profile auto shows, and as a result, Ford has indicated that the GT40 will see production as a 2003 model. Don’t bother reaching for your checkbook – the limited run is virtually spoken for, even with the $130,000+ price tag.

From the examples that we’ve seen and from what we’ve heard from people who have sampled the new GT40, Ford has positioned itself to challenge Ferrari (and all of the other manufacturers) for a future Le Mans title. The low-slung GT40 wears massive 18″ x 8″ wheels in the front and 19″ x 10″ wheels in the back – perfect for pulling high speeds out of the Daytona highbanks.

Stay tuned to the Mile Marker for more information about this gem; we have a road and track test planned for a future issue.