Ford GT, 2017
Ford GT II
Ford GT II•
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Chassis No.: 2FAGP9CW2HH200048
Auction: Monterey 2018
Auction date: August 25, 2018
Lot No.: S110
$1,600,000 | High bid
- Exterior: Silver
- Interior: Black
- 9 miles
- No. 48 of 250 produced for 2017
- Twin turbocharged and intercooled 3.5/647 HP EcoBoost engine
- 7-speed dual clutch automatic with manual shift mode
- 0-60 MPH in 3.0 seconds
- Top speed of 216 MPH
- Active multi-mode suspension
- Ingot Silver with Black striping
- Gloss carbon fiber lowers
- Silver forged aluminum wheels with titanium lugs
- Dark Energy interior
- Carbon ceramic disc brakes
- Silver brake calipers
There is no shortage of automakers whose sporting or exotic models make it onto the racetracks of the world in serious competition, almost without exception for the purpose of adding cachet to their showroom products. The 2017 Ford GT is not one of those cars. Its primary purpose was to win its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of the GT40’s historic first win there in 1966, a feat it accomplished in overwhelming fashion when the Chip Ganassi Racing team swept four top-10 spots in the LM GTE class, including first and third. While the GT was tasked first as a race car, it was also intended to advance Ford’s reputation for innovation in its production vehicles.
While Ganassi Racing and billion-dollar automotive manufacturing giant Multimatic Engineering of Markham, Ontario, developed the racing-purposed GT, Ford engineers and designers worked to make the GT into a comfortable road car. This 2017 Ford GT, No. 48 of the 250 built to homologate the GT for FIA competition, showcases the extraordinary fruits of that two-track development process. The Ford GT bears a strong family resemblance, mostly up front, to the original Le Mans-winning GT40, but its shape and dimensions were dictated almost entirely by the FIA rulebook and the laws of physics and fluid dynamics.
The face may be familiar, but follow the lines toward the rear and the transformation into full-blown LM prototype becomes evident, the sides flowing together to meet in a narrow pod barely wide enough to house the twin exhaust outlets; that’s topped by an articulated spoiler and flanked by pontoons and dramatic flying-buttress roof pillars, a signature GT feature. At 43 inches, the GT barely reaches the height of the average car’s side windowsills; switch on Track Mode and it drops another two inches to minimize under-body airflow and maximize downforce.
Ford’s twin-turbocharged and intercooled EcoBoost V-6 was the logical choice for the GT in both race and street trim, the latter a full 47 HP stronger than the racing version at 647 HP. The V-6’s compactness facilitated the car’s tight packaging at the rear with room to spare for the dual-clutch 7-speed automatic. The GT’s tub and body are almost entirely constructed of carbon fiber, with aluminum front and rear subframes and a roll cage integrated into the roof and cockpit structures.
The front and rear suspension are leading-edge race design incorporating upper and lower control arms, pushrod-actuated torsion bars, coil springs and the electrically adjustable Multimatic spool-valve shock absorbers found in Formula 1 and Prototype racers the world over; carbon-ceramic disc brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires on light alloy forged wheels with titanium lugs complete the rolling stock. Driving modes can be changed between Wet, Normal, Sport, Track and V-Max at a twist of the steering wheel-mounted dial.
The intricately molded doors swing upwards to provide access to the two-place cockpit, in which the driver and passenger seats are molded into the tub to save the weight of seating hardware and give the driver a direct connection to the car. The accommodations are tight, again in service to aerodynamics, but the bucket seats are comfortably bolstered, and the view outside, in contrast to too many supercars, is almost panoramic. Because the seats are fixed, the pedals and F1-inspired steering wheel are adjustable to accommodate various driver setups.
The red start button and shifter dial are located on the central tunnel, but most driver controls and information readouts are directly at hand, either on the steering wheel—including the carbon-fiber shift paddles—or behind it in the highly configurable instrument panel. This 2017 Ford GT presents in attractive Ingot Silver paint with black striping, gloss carbon-fiber lowers, silver-painted brake calipers and a Dark Energy interior. An astounding performer with a 0-60 MPH time of 3 seconds flat and a top speed of 216 MPH, it is the very embodiment of Ford’s leadership in technology and performance in one of the world’s most beautiful extreme-performance automobiles.
