Ford GT Returns With More Power, Look-at-Me Trims
A Blue Oval vehicle you’re sick of seeing everywhere, the GT, arrives for 2020 with extra oomph in tow, as well as appearance schemes aimed at setting it apart from the other GTs prowling the Lowes lot. A lack of paint is what’s notable with one of these entries.
A Canadian-built, limited-edition supercar, the GT still makes use of a finely tuned 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6, only now there’s more ponies on tap.
It’s not a huge gain, but that’s hardly a reason for someone to not buy a new GT. These vehicles are scarce, ensuring value retention amid endless collector interest. Many of those collectors may have missed out on a factory delivery the first time around.
For 2020, the 3.5L generates 660 horsepower, up from 647 hp. Torque remains the same at 550 lb-ft, as does the transmission — a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Engine upgrades come in the form of gallery-cooled pistons, higher-energy ignition coils, and better cooling provided by enlarged ducts (Ford claims a 50-percent increase in airflow). Frostier charge air is provided by larger intercoolers.
The automaker’s performance division shaved 9 pounds off the GT by swapping to a Akrapovič titanium exhaust, a setup that delivers the same resonant melody as before. That’s a Ford promise, it seems. Other changes include increased damping when in track mode, helping the GT stay planted when the going gets fun. (The GT does not have a reputation as a wallowy barge.)
Ford seems more enamoured with what’s going on with the car’s exterior. Two flavors join the appearance roster for 2020; one, dubbed Liquid Carbon, is essentially a clearcoat applied directly over the car’s carbon fiber body shell, showing off the pricey material that lies beneath. “Nothing comes between me and my carbon,” a driver might say, confusing Millennials. There’s also a revamped Gulf Racing heritage livery, this one harkening back to Ford’s 1969 Le Mans win.
If you need to ask the price, you’re not in the market for a new GT. Like before, the automaker and its Ontario-based Multimatic partner plan to build only a relative handful of these vehicles, wrapping up production in 2022.
[Images: Ford]
More by Steph Willems
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Nice to see Ford focusing on what matters rather than fixing the abysmal quality on the Explorer and MKExplorer or figuring out how to make the new Escape not so cheap. And for the price of this wannabe super car I'd buy two super cars from a manufacturer that has some actual credibility building super cars. They will turn a lot more heads than a lowly Ford.
I've seen one prior gen GT on the street-I saw this one recently in Newport, RI...in a museum, sadly. Very pretty and amazingly engineered. If GM hits this target with the C8 for normal world money and production it will be a huge win. The GT is a Spectacular car, even surrounded by spectacular cars. Mustangs are cool, but you wonder why no GT lite ? Same place as the NSX with a blown J engine.....