Ford 's supercar, the Ford GT, will be available for sale in Canada.
The Ford GT will be the pace car for Champ Car World Series races in Toronto , Montréal, and Edmonton.
Powered by an all-aluminum, 5.4-litre supercharged MOD V-8 engine with 550 horsepower, the Ford GT has the performance to match or beat the best sports cars in the world.
TORONTO, Ont., July 7, 2005 – For the first time, the Ford GT supercar will be available for sale in Canada, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd., announced today. Race fans can catch their first glimpse of the incredible 550-horsepower Ford GT in action at the Canadian Champ Car World Series races in Toronto (July 10), Edmonton (July 17) and Montréal (August 28).
"It is the ultimate legend, a true supercar that represents great moments from our past while signaling an exciting path to our future," said Joe Hinrichs, president and CEO, Ford of Canada. "Ever since the Ford GT40 concept car was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in 2002, requests from Canadian car enthusiasts have been overwhelming. Now their dreams have come true."
Ford of Canada will offer 200 unique, limited production Canadian cars for sale during the 2006 model year after working with Markham, Ont.-based automotive supplier Multimatic Inc. to customize the vehicle to Canadian standards.
“Multimatic is extremely pleased to be working with Ford of Canada to bring one of the world’s best supercars to Canadians. Having worked with Ford on the original development of the Ford GT concept vehicles, it is great to see that our partnership will bring this exclusive car to Canada,” said Hao Wang, assistant general manager, Multimatic Technical Centre. Multimatic supplies components, systems and engineering services to the global automotive industry and has operating divisions in North America and Europe with partners in Asia, South America and Australia.
Canadians will have an opportunity to check out the Ford GT, now that it has been named the official pace car of the Champ Car World Series races in Canada , which features some of the greatest race car drivers in the world, including Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani and Andrew Ranger.
"Ford has been a long-time supporter of the Champ Car World Series and we’re pleased to forge a new partnership with them in Canada ," said David Greenberg, vice president, general marketing, Ford of Canada. "Champ Car has been expanding the series internationally and now will be bringing high-profile events to race fans in three Canadian cities."
Race History
The original Ford GT40 was a pure race car, built in the mid-1960s to take on Ferrari in the demanding 24-hour race at Le Mans . The Ford GT40 beat the world’s best in endurance racing, placing 1-2-3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and winning the next three consecutive years.
The GT40 race cars were engineering and design marvels demonstrating Ford’s dedication and perseverance. In a few short years, under the direction of Henry Ford II, the company built a program from scratch that reached the pinnacle of international motorsports competition.
Perhaps the world’s most significant – and glamorous – motorsport contest, Le Mans in the early 1960s was showing signs of becoming a Ferrari showcase, because the Italians had become the leaders in a number of endurance classes and events. But the Ford GT40 race car changed Le Mans forever, and today it signifies a new era for Ford Motor Company.
Design
Unveiled at the 2002 NAIAS, the GT40 concept became an instant sensation. Just 45 days after the vehicle was unveiled, Ford stunned the world again, officially announcing that a production version was in the works. The GT40 concept car was created to celebrate a great era in Ford's history and to look forward to the great years to come.
Although the new production car and the original race car both share the mystique of the Ford GT name, they do not share a single dimension. The new car is more than 45 cm (18 inches) longer and stands nearly 10 cm (4 inches) taller. Its new lines draw upon and refine the best features of Ford GT history and express the car’s identity through modern proportion and surface development.
The Ford GT production car, like the concept, casts the familiar, sleek look of its namesake; yet every dimension, every curve and every line on the car is a unique reinterpretation of the original. The car features a long front overhang reminiscent of 1960s-era race cars. However, its sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines and high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps strike a distinctly contemporary pose.
The front fenders curve over 45 cm (18-inch) wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Super Car tires. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 48 cm (19-inch) wheels and tires, define the rear of the car - while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car’s profile at the integrated “ducktail” spoiler.
The interior design incorporates the novel “ventilated seats” and instrument layout of the original car, with straightforward analogue gauges and a large tachometer. Modern versions of the original car’s toggle switches operate key systems.
Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in a 5.4-litre supercharged version of Ford’s MOD V-8 engine. The finishing touches are “Ford Blue” cam covers, each featuring an aluminum coil cover imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”
Chassis and Powertrain
The Ford GT team knew this road car would require a stiff structure, much like a race car. As such, they developed an all-aluminum space frame comprising extrusions, castings and several stampings. The hybrid aluminum space frame chassis is based on efficient use of 35 extrusions, seven complex castings, two semi-solid formed castings and various stamped aluminum panels.
The new Ford GT is intended for the road, unlike the original 1960s race cars that ultimately spawned a limited number of production road cars. However, the new car required unique race-like engineering solutions – like engineering out the aerodynamic “lift” inherent in the original car’s design – for a car that will clock in at more than 330km/h. The new Ford GT includes racing-inspired ground effects ducting under the rear fascia.
The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded centre tunnel, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fibre inner panel.
As on the historic race car, the Ford GT aluminum body panels are unstressed. Instead of the steel or honeycomb-composite tubs used in the 1960s, the Ford GT team developed an all-new aluminum space frame as the foundation. The chassis features unequal-length control arms and coil-over spring-damper units to allow for its low profile.
Braking is handled by four-piston aluminum Brembo monoblock calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine become the car’s focal point. Precision-cast aluminum suspension components and 48 cm (19-inch) Goodyear tires – combined with the overwhelming presence of the V-8 engine – create a striking appearance and communicate the performance credentials of the Ford GT.
The Ford GT motor, based on the largest V-8 in Ford’s modular engine family, features 85 per cent new moving parts and produces 550 horsepower and 500 feet-pound of torque. Both figures are comparable to those of the 7.0-litre engine that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and 1967.
The 5.4-litre powerplant is all-aluminum and fed by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. It features 4-valve cylinder heads and forged components, including the crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods and aluminum pistons. Power is put to the road through a Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle featuring a helical limited-slip differential.
Major Equipment
Brembo monoblock brake calipers, one-piece BBS wheels 46 cm (18-inch) front, 48 cm
(19-inch) rear, Goodyear Eagle F1 supercar tires, carbon-fibre bucket seats with ventilated leather seating surfaces, 6-speed manual transmission, AM/FM stereo with CD, bi-xenon headlamps, fog lamps, driver and passenger front air bags, ABS, leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, passive anti-theft system, power exterior mirrors, windows and door locks, air conditioning, remote keyless entry and rear window defroster.
The big Ford dealership in my town has one, and she is purdy. I have see pictures of it but they don't do it justice. If any of you RI'ers are near the Tasca dealership in Cranston you should stop by to oggle it.
____________________ Honda's are like assholes, everyone has one.
