Ford Unleashes Track-Only GT Mk IV

Dearborn is having one final fling with what Ford is calling the “last-and-final” of the third-gen Ford GT builds. Set to be called the GT Mk IV – in honor of its Le Mans effort in 1967 – this track-only weapon will have a trick EcoBoost mill pushing 800 horsepower and a completely different wheelbase measurement compared to a standard GT.

In other words, this is a lot more than a cynical paint-n-wallpaper package.

As a homage to the famous ’67 campaign in which Ford won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is creating this Mk IV for rich punters who want to get one up on their buddies who have a workaday GT. Whilst specifics are rather slim at present, Ford will say the Mk IV has a chassis with a longer wheelbase, something which surely was not cheap (or quick) to engineer. As a reference point, the original GT Mk IV of 1967 had a wheelbase stretched 9 inches longer than its predecessors. The global director of Ford Motorsport, Mark Rushbrook, alleges the carbon fiber body is ‘completely new’ and aero functional.

They will say that they’re calling its carbon fiber construction a “long tail” body, suggesting all or most of the extra length will go towards aero improvements at the car’s rear; indeed, the bumf tells us the GT Mk IV has an aero-focused exterior design. McLaren has used the same trick in cars such as the 600LT, though that machine is road legal. One look at the Mk IV, with its outrageous wing and diffusers, confirms that is not the case with this Ford.

Without going into detail, engineers say the 2023 Ford GT Mk IV is expected to make more than 800 horsepower from its EcoBoost engine, assisted by a ‘race transmission’ and Multimatic’s adaptive spool valve suspension. Remember, that’s the Canadian company that has a big hand in the GT gestation and a huge back catalog of delivering competition/track cars to race teams and individual customers. With that resumé, it makes sense that Ford has decided to offer a GT with these credentials.

Price? If you have to ask, a cool $1.7 million – plus access to a racetrack, of course. The so-called ‘client selections’ will occur in the first quarter of next year, with deliveries expected in late spring of the 2023 calendar year. 

[Images: Ford]

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