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The New Track Only Ford GT MKII Unleashes Next Level Performance

Well it’s finally here!

After being tested in the past weeks, Ford removed the cover on the GT MKII at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Unfortunately it will be a track only car, but one that adheres to no governing bodies telling Ford what they can or can’t do.

 

Because Ford could throw away the rule book, they were able to add a massive rear wing and go nuts with the aerodynamics. Additionally, Ford put on a huge rear diffuser, a new front splitter, louvered front fenders and dive planes on the front bumper. All of which adds up to an insane 2+ Gs on the skid pad. Ford says that the rear wing alone produces more downforce than the entire system on the GT race car, and the whole package produces over 400% more than the road car: a total of 1800 to 1900lbs of downforce, meaning theoretically at the right speed the car could drive upside down.

 

In the interest of keeping the car light, Ford removed 200lbs from the road car. To do this they removed the adjustable ride height and the multiple driving modes. Instead the GT has five way adjustable shocks and a fixed ride height, but it does keep the road car’s carbon ceramic brakes. To aid this performance, the new 19 inch wheels are wrapped in previously discontinued Michelin Pilot Sport GT slick racing tires, too.

Inside is even more stripped down than the road car with a now more minimalist dashboard. A top mounted display reads information from the MoTec data acquisition system, as well as the rear view camera, and the driver is rewarded with a Sparco racing seat with a six-point harness. The passenger seat is optional. Of course.

 

The GT will keep its 3.5-liter Eco-Boost V6, an engine it shares with the Ford F-150 pickup. But thanks to a new roof-mounted air intake it produces 700 horsepower. Up 53 horses compared to the road car. While the air intake looks great, its primary function is to feed cool air to the auxiliary clutch, engine and transmission. Ford also installed a new air-to-air onboard mounted charge air cooler, one that automatically sprays water on the charge air cooler at high temperatures to maintain consistent high power output.

 

Ford is committed to making the best track day car it can with the GT MKII. The model lacks airbags, it won’t be crash tested, and it does not comply with noise and emissions regulations. All of this is just fine because having to fold yourself to get in and out of the FIA-approved roll cage sounds like a lot of work.

 

Ford says that this new supercar will be a 45 unit run, and that it will come out of the 1,350 cars Ford has promised to make, meaning that it should not hurt the resale value of the other MkIs.

When it comes to price, as we expected, it’s quite a bit more than the standard road car. How much more? Well the total price is $1.2 million. For a car that currently meets none of the road legal requirements and can’t be raced in a series, that’s quite a lot. But of course, it’s going to sell like hot cakes.

 

If you are interested in this new GT, be quick, as unlike the previous GT there are no special requirements to purchase the MKII, probably due to the fact it’s being sold directly to customers via Multimatic. Again, unlike the previous GT, there are also no contracts that need to be signed limiting the immediate resale of the car.

It’s a horrible world where resales happen for cash grabs, but it’s inevitable.

James Smith

Im a huge car enthusiast, Ive been watching Top Gear with Clarkson, Hammond and May since 2007. I currently live in Minnesota with my Fiancee and Family. I enjoy riding my Kawasaki Z800 and hiking around state parks.

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