Ford unleashes epic, track-only 800hp GT Mk IV
Of course Ford wasn't actually finished with the GT - and when the swan song looks like this, we're not complaining
If it seems like not long ago that Ford said it was done with the GT, then well remembered. As recently as October the Blue Oval confirmed that the LM Edition marked the end of production, which paid homage to the race you might have heard the GT40 won a few times. And that was going to be that after five years. Only it wasn’t. Because now there’s the final track-only GT as well - the really rather awesome Mk IV.
The standard GT was already an extreme proposition, with its carbon tub and advanced aerodynamics. For the Mk IV, as you can probably see, everything has been cranked up quite significantly. Without the need for road homologation or a bothersome requirement to adhere to race rules, it’s a GT entirely uncorked, with 800hp from a larger Ecoboost V6 (Ford won’t say how big), a longtail body like it’s a McLaren F1, Multimatic’s Adaptive Spool Valve suspension, and a ‘racing transmission’, which we’ll assume means a sequential. Unlike all those GTs that were meant to look like racing cars, this one really is. Only with more power.
It's the new look that’s surely going to get the most attention, this reinterpretation of the GT Mk IV - the drastically different 1967 car that kept the GT40’s Le Mans winning streak going - being quite something to behold. The wheelbase of this car is longer than any other GT, just as it was for the 1967 car, which ought to benefit stability. Ford hasn’t yet made any claims for the downforce created by the radical new bodywork, but the rear end in particular is almost unrecognisable, stretched out for miles and with everything shrouded in aero addenda. No more jokes about the Angry Birds Pig now.
Elsewhere, the aerodisc wheels are fairly spectacular, and the intakes look like they could swallow humans whole. Much like the back end, the Mk IV’s front is so extreme you might need a second look to identify it. The GT was already a raw, demanding supercar, far closer to the motorsport experience than expected - this is going to be off the charts.
“The original GT Mk IV held nothing back for max track performance, and the new Ford GT Mk IV brings it in the same way,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “With an even higher-level of motorsport engineering and performance, plus a completely new carbon fibre body that is functional and striking, the Mk IV is the ultimate send-off of the third-generation supercar.”
Just 67 Mk IVs will be made, all put together at Multimatic’s facility in Ontario. Its executive vice president, Larry Holt, described the car as offering “an unprecedented level of performance”. Which is quite the claim from a company that specialises in racing cars. Those who want to experience the very final GT (until the next one) will be asked to part with at least $1.7m, as that’s the starting price. Ford has a new client application process to select the fortunate 67, as you suspect this GT will be more than a bit oversubscribed. Those who make the cut should receive their cars in late spring next year.
I'm glad that it's going out with a bang, and this is a great way of doing that with some quite wild aero and evolution of the standard car.
Of course I'd still prefer the normal version for my dream garage, but this would be a fun track weapon - it's got more appeal to me than some of the others that I've seen, given that the base car has pedigree at Le Mans (albeit contrived).
I’m not bitter though…
This was his car (not my photo!).
I kinda get the appeal of being able to go out and smash lap times in, on a deserted track, and to challenge yourself to extract your own and the cars limits, but there are a million ways to achieve that.
Caging these types of machines in collections is an utter waste, and any car used seriously will be battered with road rash and rubber flicked down the sides ........ If I saw a war wounded FXX looking like a battered LeMan winner, covered in grime, scratches, and duck tape, I'd be seriously impressed, but I bet those cars are few and car between.
I kinda get the appeal of being able to go out and smash lap times in, on a deserted track, and to challenge yourself to extract your own and the cars limits, but there are a million ways to achieve that.
Caging these types of machines in collections is an utter waste, and any car used seriously will be battered with road rash and rubber flicked down the sides ........ If I saw a war wounded FXX looking like a battered LeMan winner, covered in grime, scratches, and duck tape, I'd be seriously impressed, but I bet those cars are few and car between.
The engineers, stylists, aerodynamics guys etc working for Ford are paid a salary for their time and effort. Ford profit from the time spent developing the car from people buying them. The buyers now own an object that will most probably be a safer investment against inflation than keeping cash in the bank due to rarity and soon to be historical significance.
Just because something has a functional use doesn't mean it has to be used. By that logic, mechanical watches shouldn't be a thing as they are woefully ineffective creations judged on their primary functionality of accurate time telling (when compared to, say, a cheap Casio digital watch or an iPhone) and in particular when it comes to the more intricate mechanical complications they are highly unlikely to ever be used in earnest yet people still buy them - bear in mind too that some watches out there cost more than this car! People at this level buy things like high end cars and luxury watches because it feels good to own them primarily; their function is a bonus but not the main reason to own them.
I fail to see what is wasted here.
The engineers, stylists, aerodynamics guys etc working for Ford are paid a salary for their time and effort. Ford profit from the time spent developing the car from people buying them. The buyers now own an object that will most probably be a safer investment against inflation than keeping cash in the bank due to rarity and soon to be historical significance.
Just because something has a functional use doesn't mean it has to be used. By that logic, mechanical watches shouldn't be a thing as they are woefully ineffective creations judged on their primary functionality of accurate time telling (when compared to, say, a cheap Casio digital watch or an iPhone) and in particular when it comes to the more intricate mechanical complications they are highly unlikely to ever be used in earnest yet people still buy them - bear in mind too that some watches out there cost more than this car! People at this level buy things like high end cars and luxury watches because it feels good to own them primarily; their function is a bonus but not the main reason to own them.
I fail to see what is wasted here.
What would be the point of buying this car, sticking it in the garage just to look at it..??
The engineers, stylists, aerodynamics guys etc working for Ford are paid a salary for their time and effort. Ford profit from the time spent developing the car from people buying them. The buyers now own an object that will most probably be a safer investment against inflation than keeping cash in the bank due to rarity and soon to be historical significance.
Just because something has a functional use doesn't mean it has to be used. By that logic, mechanical watches shouldn't be a thing as they are woefully ineffective creations judged on their primary functionality of accurate time telling (when compared to, say, a cheap Casio digital watch or an iPhone) and in particular when it comes to the more intricate mechanical complications they are highly unlikely to ever be used in earnest yet people still buy them - bear in mind too that some watches out there cost more than this car! People at this level buy things like high end cars and luxury watches because it feels good to own them primarily; their function is a bonus but not the main reason to own them.
I fail to see what is wasted here.
Traditional technologies that are objectively inferior to newer technologies by some kind of metric of comparison is just fine, and exactly what we like and need to cherish.
Your previous statement of "Just because something has a functional use doesn't mean it has to be used" is exactly where the waste is ...... By all means, it's up to the owner how they use anything they own, however that doesn't mean that parking up a mechanical high performance object like a car, and covering it with a sheet, to live in an air condition basement, isn't a waste of that object ....... it most certainly is!
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