Ford GT reaches 205 mph in testing at Nardo

[rob.e]

classicdriver.com said:

"Just as the Ford GT40 was the first race car to break the 200mph barrier at LeMans, the new 2005 Ford GT has become the first production road car wearing the Ford badge to achieve top speed in excess of 200mph. During engineering testing for high-speed stability and powertrain durability at Italy's famed Nardo test facility, the Ford GT reached a certified top speed of 205mph. In 1966, a GT40 reached a trap speed of 201mph on the Mulsanne Straight during the 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race, and now the new Ford GT continues that legend by again breaking new ground."

Full article at:

www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3300.asp?id=12081

[RobDickinson]

Didnt the GT40 do close to 200 anyhow? thats 40 years of progress...

[Whoozit]

And the latest evo has a tweaked 996 Turbo doing 230-something only a few weeks ago.

[CanAm]

The road-going GT40 only did about 165mph or so. The racing Ford GT MkII in 1966 had a 7-litre engine, and was clocked at 325KPH (201mph) in the race. Remember the new one is a production car, not an out and out racer, and Nardo is a (banked)circular track so there is a slight speed reduction because of that.

[rob.e]

I don't think there's any mileage in comparing the 1960's GT40 with the current model. The only thing they share is the badge. The key thing is that the ford is a 100k car that cracks 200mph. The other 100k cars that i can think of, don't (modena, 996TT).

Just a shame they won't build enough..

[Guibo]

In case this hasn't yet been posted:

"In fact, it seems they over-achieved. A couple of days earlier, this very Ford GT cracked 190mph at Nardo. And it didn't stop until it hit... 212mph. Not just once, but on three occasions, driven by three separate drivers.

Now, due to some unfathomable bureaucratic decision, Ford has decided to down-play the GT's top speed, planning to publish it as a still-mighty 205mph - a figure high enough to make this the fastest Ford road car ever."
www.topgear.com/servlet/tg?DEST=/content/jsp/individualRoadTest.jsp&EVENT=1010&MAKE=Ford:B4&MODEL=GT:XX&roadTestNumber=02_01.html