Top Car

January 2016 |TOPCAR.CO.ZA 792016’s most wanted:FORDGTTHE SHORTansweris both.But there aredifferences, mostofwhich showthesophistication ofthe roadcar. Togoracing, Fordhas toremovethe activeaerodynamics, whileGTE regulationsmandate no morethan 500bhp(373kW)– bad newsfor rivals, asthat’s75kWlessthanwhathas alreadyprovendurableover24 hours winningraces in a DaytonaPrototype. ChipGanassiRacingran that car, andit will run the GTs,too, alongsideFelixSabates. Theactual``````roadcarengineis an updated,enhancedversionofthe racingunit.Can the new GTtakeclass honoursonitsanniversaryreturntoLeMans? DavePericak: ‘All I cansayis this: we’regoingtobeready toraceand Ihopeeveryoneelseis too.’New FordGT: roadcar orracecar?before. For me personally, I can say it’s themost well-balanced, well-behaved car thatI’ve beenin, ever. And it’s extremelyintuitive the minute you getbehind thewheel.’ What is it like compared to theprev ious version – 2003 ’s mid-engined V8-powered reimagining of the GT40? ‘Theyare in two separate worlds, it’s not even aclose competition.’Ford isn’t officially saying what that meansfor outright performance yet, but the portentsare there. ‘We’re putting a V6 into a supercar,’Pericak reiterates, ‘and we’re extremelyconfident that we will be as good or betterthan the rest of the supercars. And that’s aheck of a statement to make, right?’ The original claim of‘over 600bhp’ (447kW) is surely closer to 700 (522kW) inreality. Target weight must be in the region of McLaren, say1200kg dry. The aerodynamics are clearly on display. Evenwith th e traction limitations of rear-whe el drive, 0-100kphhas got to be su b 3.0sec, and top speed well over 320kph.Ford also isn’t saying how many GTs it will build, butPericak confirms ‘it will be a very low number’. Not justbeca use of the production limitations with carbon fibre,but beca use Ford knows it’s important to maintain a senseof prest ige. As for the price, he says we should lo ok to theAventador. Yikes! Yet he’s adamant Ford is ‘not do ing thisto try to get rich’. So why is it do ing it at all?‘It’s the embodiment of what’s great at Ford MotorCompany. A lot of people ask why are you doing it? And Ialways love to give the fun answer of “becausewe can”.But that’s not the real answer. The real answer is we’redoing the Ford GT beca use we want to sh owcase anddemonstrate our engineering prowess and all of thecapability that we have at Ford. Showcase it, be proud of it,and have it be the pinnacle of performance.’Can the GT possi bly live up tothat kind of hype? Watchthis spac e...tc``````Although this is theconcep t car, Fordsays 95% of it islocked downforproduc tion``````Shift paddle s long andsharp enough to double asa cheese knife. Brembosare carbon ceramics