Road Icons : Ford GT(First Generation(MK1))

In 1961, Ferrari’s then CEO and founder Enzo Ferrari had a discreet meeting with then Ford CEO, Henry Ford II. Ferrari was ready to sign the contract stating that Ford will now own the name and licensing of Automobli Ferrari S.P.A until he saw one statement he had never seen before the meeting, stating that Ford will also own Ferrari’s racing department. Due to this one single statement, the entire 60’s Le Mans war occurred in the form of the Ford GT40 MK2, MK3 and MK4, and the Ferrari P Series, which included cars such as the 275 GTB P, 250 GTO P and the notorious

Ferrari 330 P4. The GT40 series became notorious after the 60’s, as it dominated Le Mans against all odds, beating every single Ferrari P Series machinary from 1966 to 1969.

After the GT Program’s dysfunction in 1970, Ford was trying to revive the GT name with a road car that attained the performance of the Le Mans racer, but with styling and features of an ordinary grand touring road car. First came the GT70, a GT which was a prototype in the 70’s Ford dedicated to light off roading modifications in order to participate in rallying. The project came through due to unspecified reasons, which most speculate to be a budget related issue. Ford then proceeded to build some prototypes, which were in favours of the GN34, which was a prototype designed to go head to head with the than Ferrari’s flagship, the 355 series, the Maya, which was a T top based midship 2 seater designed to be a competitor to the Ferrari 348, and finally, the GT90, which was a prototype designed to go face to face with some of the fastest cars at the time such as the Lamborghini Diablo and the Bugatti EB110 SS. All of these prototypes gave birth to one revolutionary prototype which debuted at the 2002 North American International Auto Show, where Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary. The prototype in question was the Ford GT40 Concept, a supercar which followed the retro inspired designing trend and had the design of the original GT40 race cars. The development of the Ford GT40 Concept and Prototype was done by several designers and engineers of the original GT40, such as Safir Engineering and the infamous Carroll Shelby.

The GT40 road car, rebranded simply as the “Ford GT”, began production in September of 2004, with original plans of 4,500 units to be built, although only 2,022 units were ever built at the end of production in September of 2007. Ford began marketing through several movies such as “Crazy on the Outside” and several arcade games and home console games such as “Gran Turismo 4”, where the car played a massive role throughout the game being the “Cover Car”. Although even with Ford’s marketing campaigns, the GT was proven difficult to sell, as there were brand new 2005/2006 Ford GTs still in dealer inventory and factory storage even after production ceased in 2007.

The production spec Ford GT received a 5.4 litre supercharged V8 called the Modular, which was a highly modified and tuned version of the Modular type V8 engine found in the similar era Ford Lightning high performance light truck series. The Modular type engine in the GT was mated to a semi-racing spec 6 speed manual gearbox, handbuilt by Ricardo PLC in the UK. The GT received positive reviews from racing drivers on the track such as Keiichi Tsuchiya, who stated the GT performed better than several newer supercars that were at least £40,000 more expensive such as the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo. Although the reviews on the track proved the GT as a true successor to the old GT40, several owners found it difficult to live with the vehicle, most famous being TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who stated the GT was unbearable due to faulty electronics and the uncommon door design, which required a certain amount of space to be opened.

There were several special editions and dealership modified editions of the GT, most notorious one being the “Heritage Edition” 2006 Ford GTs. The “Heritage Edition” Ford GTs were special ordered Ford GTs which boasted the Gulf Oil sponsored Ford GT40 inspired livery. With only 346 Ford GTs equipped with the “Heritage Edition” package, the “Heritage Edition” Ford GTs are highly desirable with collectors, bringing at least £90,000 more regularly than the standard Ford GTs. Another infamous Ford GT variant would be the “GTX1” package designed by the Genaddi group. This rare dealership modified variant of the Ford GT converted the vehicle into a targa topped roadster from the standard coupe body of the GT. The Genaddi group also offered performance tuning to the “GTX1” package, which increased the output of the Modular engine to 700 horsepower, from the standard 550 horsepower. The “GTX1” package also brought in some interior modifications such as Le Mans inspired race seats and personalised dashboards. With only 100 units ever to be built and with almost 6 units destroyed, the “GTX1” Ford GTs are the most popular variant of the Ford GT to collectors, with average market values ranging from at least £1,000,000 to £2,000,000.

Although the Ford GT, now at it's 2nd generation phase, bites the dust this upcoming year, both its race and road heritage and legacy surely will not be forgotten by enthusiasts. A true icon of the road.