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No one goes into automotive journalism to get rich; we are here to serve our communities and make the world a better place. Every once in a while, however, we get the keys to a half-million dollar supercar thrown at us, and we have to admit our glee. I have a soft spot for this one in particular. I started researching the history of the Ford GT in 2006, and have driven several generations on the road and on the track. I have loads of Ford GT literature bigger than me. So when Ford gave me a few hours in the latest upgraded car during Monterey Car Week, I jumped at the chance to continue my intellectual journey in real time.
There is arguably no other car model with such an exciting biography as that of the GT. While this latest model looks nothing like its 1960s ancestor, it still has that story in its bones. The Ford GT saw the light of day on July 12, 1963, when Lee Iacocca called a special Ford Executives Meeting to create Ford Advanced Vehicles. He instructs this new division to create a racing car to dethrone Ferrari at Le Mans. They wanted a mid-engined vehicle capable of going over 200 mph, in other words, a one-of-a-kind car. Project leader Roy Lunn said at the time: “With the exception of land speed record cars, no vehicle has ever been developed to travel at speeds above 200 mph on normal highways. These speeds are higher than the takeoff speed of most airplanes, but, conversely, the main problem will be keeping the vehicle on the ground. Many of the original diagrams and engineering documents from the 1960s are available today as a book, and make it fascinating read.
When Ford launched the next-gen GT for 2017, car fans scoffed at the idea of a Ford priced in the hundreds of thousands. Even the 2005-2006 Ford GT was initially within the reach of the moderately wealthy, although most of these cars increased in value. The new car is almost inaccessible. That’s another reason I jumped at the chance to drive it; not only is it very expensive, but there are few.
The latest upgrade, released in 2020, gets 13 more horsepower from its twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 and also gets a wider torque range. There’s a decent list of racing-derived mechanical upgrades as well, like gallery-cooled pistons, higher-energy ignition coils, and a new, lighter, nine-pound titanium exhaust.
AJ Baime
None of this is really noticeable during the driving experience. What you notice is everything a car of this exclusive has to have: carbon fiber bodywork, 647 hp, precise laser steering, a center of gravity that puts extreme cornering potential in your hands.
The seven-speed dual-clutch manumatic clicks up and down like a race car, and while its 550 lb-ft of torque is lower than some of the newer machines, you wouldn’t know when you hammer in the Shifter. Gas. Big Brembos let you confidently carry that speed to the edge of a tight turn. A rear spoiler pops up under hard acceleration, and the body shape makes the car feel like it could beat the Bezos and Musk space machines on the moon. The Code Orange paint from my test drive wasn’t my favorite, but who’s complaining?
At the same time, there is a level of comfort that could make the car a daily driver, if you are keen enough not to worry about a little difficulty getting in and out. Rear visibility, almost non-existent in many supercars, is plentiful in the GT. The car may have four racing parts and one road part, but its navigation system works perfectly well and the seat is as comfortable as that of my Subaru Crosstrek. And on the coastal road from Monterey to Big Sur and back, this supercar not only offered bliss in the high-speed corners, but also the opportunity to forget that I was driving a half-million-dollar machine. In the Ford GT, I could simply revel in the charm of one of the most beautiful roads on the planet.
AJ Baime
Ford has announced that only 1,350 GT will be built until next year, both R&T readers will never even see any of these things in the flesh, let alone buy one. But it’s still an important halo car. The race car won its class on its debut at Le Mans. The mere existence of the road car means that buyers who want to own a real GT racing car for the road, a serious supercar with a Ferrari level price tag, can buy American. It’s a victory for all of us, whether we drive or not.
AJ Baime is an R&T editor and author of Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans.
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