20 years of the Ford GT supercar

At the beginning of the XXI century, Ford Motor Company was experiencing one of the most serious economic downturns in the last few decades. Not a plague, but definitely not the best moment to feast. Nevertheless, in such a difficult period, the company has created one of the most memorable and daring cars in its entire history. Not a dummy with a beautiful wrapper, but something out of the ordinary. And, oddly enough, circumstances favored this.

Ford ThunderbirdFordBy the end of the nineties, the sprouts of the "neo-retro" style began to break through the ashes of the "biodesign". Do you remember the elegant, truly British Rover 75 and Jaguar S-Type sedans, the Plymouth Prowler serial hot rod, the reinterpreted Volkswagen Beetle, the chic Bond BMW Z8 and the slightly clumsy Toyota Classic? One of the bastions of the stylistic direction was Ford. If other companies were limited to one or two "aged" models, then he was not afraid to take a risk and design the iconic Thunderbird and Mustang in a new way. Well, the highlight of the program was the GT, which shamelessly exploited the look of the legendary racing GT40 from the sixties.

Ford GT40 Concept

Ford

The concept shown at the 2002 Detroit Exhibition divided the audience into two camps. The former shook their heads sympathetically: "The Fords are completely lazy. Just redrawn the winner of the 24-hour marathon at Le Mans. Crisis, what can I say...". The latter froze before the ghost of the past and could not even imagine that one day they would see it on the roads and even buy it. Very soon their dreams came true. Forty-five days after the premiere of the show car, Ford announced plans to offer a supercup for a six-figure sum. Difficult financial situation, unclear prospects for an ambitious product with a mass nameplate? I don't care! They just wanted to build this thing

Оригинальный Ford GT40

Ford

"More than 35 years after the famous victory at Le Mans, we are proud to announce that the new Ford supercar will bear the same name as the legendary racing car. We put customers first, so dealers who have received recognition for customer satisfaction guarantee themselves one of these dream cars," said the then president of the division, Steve Lyons. What a HYPE and a wave of speculation has risen… Sellers hypothesized about the cost of a quarter of a million bucks, but the reality exceeded all expectations. Lyons assured: the recommended price will drop below 150 thousand dollars, the GT will be noticeably cheaper than the nearest competitor in the face of the Ferrari 360 Modena. Checkmate, Europe!

Ford GT

In 2003, just for the centennial anniversary, the company made a chic gift to itself and its fans — it presented three prototypes, the personification of the three winners of the 1966 daily marathon

The American supercar was invented by people who are selflessly in love with cars. Such people smile through their sleep when the roar of the V-shaped "eight" rips open the night and do not hesitate to sketch a fleeting idea on a smeared napkin at lunch. They definitely know the recipe for an epoch-making model. Advanced technology, "right", like the non-aging chords of Motorhead, the engine plus a fair portion of sincere nostalgia.

The realization of the idea placed a heavy burden of responsibility on the shoulders of a team of 140 people under the leadership of John Coletti, head of the Special Vehicle Team (SVT) division. Neil Hannemann, a former Chrysler engineer and one of the authors of the Dodge Viper, was directly responsible for the development.