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(Note: from Ford
press release. The car has since normally been referred to as
the GT)
OVERVIEW
The GT40 – the
legendary car brought to life by Henry Ford II to change
performance car history – finds new life in a modern road car
that re-ignites Ford’s hallmarks of passion, performance and
speed.
The new high-performance concept is inspired by the vehicle
that roared into the hearts of car enthusiasts everywhere
during the 1960s. The new GT40 joins Ford’s "Living Legends"
lineup of production and concept cars, including the Ford
Thunderbird and Mustang, and the Forty-Nine concept.
"GT40 is the ultimate Living Legend," explains J Mays, Ford
vice president of Design. "It’s a true supercar with appeal
equal to that of the greatest sports cars in the world, but
with the addition of a heritage no one can match. Essential
elements of the original – including the stunning low profile
and mid-mounted American V-8 – continue in this latest
interpretation of the classic."
While the new concept and the original both share the mystique
of the GT40 name, they share not a single dimension. The
concept is more than a foot and a half longer and stands
nearly four inches taller. Its new lines draw upon and refine
the best features of GT40 history and express the car’s
identity through modern proportion and surface development.
Design
The GT40 concept
casts the familiar, sleek silhouette of its namesake, yet
every dimension, every curve and every line on the car is a
unique reinterpretation of the original. The GT40 features a
long front overhang reminiscent of 1960s-era racecars. But its
sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines and fiber-optic headlamps
strike a distinctly contemporary pose.
The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear
white-lettered tires. In the tradition of championship racers,
the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of
the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that
channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled
with 19-inch Goodyear tires, 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
straightforward analog gauges and large tachometer. Modern
versions of the original car’s toggle switches operate key
systems.
"Like its namesake, the GT40 concept is not over-wrought with
advanced technologies," Mays says. "While it represents the
best of Ford design, engineering and expertise, it is a
no-frills machine. You won't find voice-activated telematics
here – not even power windows – just pure, refined
performance."
Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the
sports car in the MOD 5.4-liter V-8 engine and its complex
array of polished stainless-steel header pipes, braided
stainless steel fuel lines with anodized aluminum fittings and
supercharger with intercooler.
"The GT40 concept should do three things: go fast, handle
exceptionally and look great," says Chris Theodore, Ford’s
vice president of North America Product Development. "To be
true to its Ford heritage, we had to create a supercar that
would be uniquely a Ford. Anyone can do technology showpieces,
high-displacement engines and modernistic designs, but there’s
much more to a GT40. There’s heritage and heart. We think this
car remains true to the spirit of its predecessors."
Chassis
As on the historic
car, the composite body panels are unstressed. Instead of
steel or honeycomb-composite tubs used in the 1960s, Ford’s
SVT Engineering group developed an all-new aluminum spaceframe
as the foundation for the GT40 concept. It features four-wheel
independent suspension with unequal-length control arms and
longitudinally mounted spring-damper units to allow for its
low profile.
Braking is handled by six-piston aluminum Alcon 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-milled aluminum
suspension components and attached 19-inch Goodyear tires –
combined with the overwhelming presence of the V-8 powertrain
– create a striking appearance and communicate the GT40
concept’s performance credentials.
Powertrain
The powerplant is
an all-American V-8 from Ford's modular engine family. The MOD
5.4-liter V-8 in the GT40 concept features aluminum four-valve
heads, forged crankshaft, H-beam forged rods and aluminum
pistons fed by a supercharger, all combining to make more than
500 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. These figures
match or exceed those of the most powerful period GT40, a car
that could handily top 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight at Le
Mans. Because of the supercharger and high-revving,
free-breathing valvetrain, the new car produces this
astounding power from an efficient 5.4-liter V-8 engine. The
power is put to the road through an RBT six-speed manual
transmission.
What’s Next
for GT40?
The GT40 concept
was created to foretell and test the future of exciting Ford
cars to come. As with other Living Legends concepts –
including the 1999 Thunderbird concept and Forty-Nine concept
– the GT40 was engineered from the beginning for production
feasibility. Ford’s SVT Engineering – which also created
performance versions of the Focus, Mustang Cobra and F-Series
Lightning – developed the chassis and powertrain. SVT
Engineering worked closely with Living Legends designers to
ensure the concept would live up to its performance heritage.
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