Showing in Australia for the first time, the Ford GT is destined to delight performance car enthusiasts.

Billed as the "pace car for an entire company", the GT has performance to match or beat the best sports cars in the world. Powered by an all-aluminium, 5.4-litre supercharged MOD V8 engine, it produces 410kW and 678Nm of torque.

Design

Unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Motor Show), the GT40 concept became an instant sensation. Just 45 days after the vehicle was unveiled, Ford stunned the world again by officially announcing that a production version was in the works.

Although the new production car and the original race car both share the mystique of the Ford GT name, they do not share a single dimension. The new car is more than 450mm longer and stands nearly 100mm taller. Its new lines draw upon and refine the best features of the Ford GT40 history while expressing the car's identity through modern proportions and surface development.

The Ford GT production car casts the familiar, sleek look of its namesake – yet every dimension, curve and line on the car is a unique reinterpretation of the original. The car features a long front overhang reminiscent of 1960's era race cars but its sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines and high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps strike a distinctly contemporary pose.

The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tyres. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors are cut into the roof, while prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional scoops that channel fresh air into the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch wheels and tyres, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car's profile at the integrated "ducktail" spoiler.

The interior design incorporates the novel "ventilated seats" and instrument layout of the original car, with straight forward analogue gauges and a large tachometer. Modern versions of the original car's toggle switches operate key systems.

The backlight reveals the essence of the sports car in a 5.4-litre supercharged version of Ford's MOD V8 engine. The finishing touches are "Ford Blue" cam covers, each featuring an aluminium coil cover imprinted with the words "Powered by Ford."

Chassis and powertrain

The Ford GT team knew this road car would require a stiff structure, much like a race car, so they developed an all-aluminium space frame comprising extrusions, castings and several stampings. The hybrid aluminium space frame chassis is based on the efficient use of 35 extrusions, seven complex castings, two semi-solid formed castings and various stamped aluminium panels.

The new Ford GT is intended for the road, unlike the original 1960s race cars that ultimately spawned a limited number of production road cars. However, the new car required unique race-like engineering solutions, like engineering out the aerodynamic 'lift' inherent in the original car's design, for a car that has been clocked at 330 km/h. The new Ford GT includes race-inspired ground effects ducting under the rear fascia.

The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic formed aluminium body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded centre tunnel, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminium engine cover with a one-piece carbon fibre inner panel.

As on the historic race car, the aluminium body panels are unstressed. Instead of the steel or honeycomb-composite tubs used in the 1960s, the Ford GT team developed an all-new aluminium space frame as the foundation. The chassis features unequal-length control arms and coil-over spring-damper units to allow for its low profile.

Braking is handled by aluminium Brembo monoblock, four piston calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine become the car's focal point. Precision-cast aluminium suspension components and 19-inch Goodyear tyres, combined with the overwhelming presence of the V8 engine, create a striking appearance and communicate the performance credentials of the Ford GT.

Based on the largest V8 in Ford's modular engine family, the GT engine features 85 per cent new moving parts and produces 410kW and 678Nm of torque. Both figures are comparable to those of the 7.0-litre engine that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and 1967.

The 5.4-litre powerplant is all-aluminium and fed by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. It features four-valve cylinder heads and forged components, including the crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods and aluminium pistons. Power is put to the road through a Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle featuring a helical limited-slip differential.

Race history

The original Ford GT racers were engineering and design marvels demonstrating Ford's dedication and perseverance. In a few short years, under the direction of Henry Ford II, the company built a programme from scratch that reached the pinnacle of international motor sports competition – and stayed there for four racing seasons.

Perhaps the world's most significant and glamorous motor sport contest, Le Mans in the early 1960s was showing signs of becoming a Ferrari showcase, but the Ford GT changed Le Mans forever.

Major equipment

Driver and passenger front airbags; ABS; ventilated, carbon fibre seats with leather trim; AM/FM stereo with CD player; leather-wrapped tilt and reach adjustable steering wheel; power windows and mirrors; air conditioning; remote keyless entry; rear window demister; anti-theft system; bi-xenon headlamps; fog lamps; 6-speed manual transmission; Brembo monoblock brake calipers; one-piece BBS alloy wheels (18-inch front, 19-inch rear); Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tyres.