Ford GT
Two decades after reviving the original Sixties legend, how does the Ford GT stack up as a modern classic today?
Words TRINITY FRANCIS Photography LAURENS PARSONS
I’d like to say that when the Ford GT fires up, it sends shockwaves through the cabin, and vibrations up through the seat to thump in your chest like fireworks.
Instead, the thump is my heartbeat and the waves rushing through my body are riddled with anxiety.
Ordinarily, after its looks, a car will speak to you with its exhaust, but from the driver’s seat it often feels suspiciously subdued. That’s not to say the twin exhaust of the Ford supercar doesn’t kick out a pleasingly throaty note, but it takes a few taps on the accelerator before rumbles begin to reach the cabin. It reminds me of the opening to Best of You by the Foo Fighters – Dave Grohl’s voice is a reassuring hint of what’s to come, but it’s not until Taylor Hawkins starts beating the drums do you really get a taste of this tour de force. The aggression hides beneath the surface, like the eerily calm movements of a snake in the moments before it strikes its prey, you have absolutely no idea what you’ve let yourself in for until it hits you.
It’s no secret that the original GT40 of 1964 was developed to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Ford’s ambition to trounce the Italian manufacturer stemmed from a failed attempt to buy the Ferrari brand and racing team the previous year. Enzo Ferrari wasn’t prepared to hand over his racing division, so the deal was off. When the GT40 idea was revived, first with a concept version at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, and with four more decades of experience, Ford was gunning for Ferrari again. Its marketing literature even explained how its reinvented sports car had been developed with higher torsional stiffness than the 360 Modena, and in a repeat of the GT40, Carroll Shelby aided development.
As beads of sweat start to form on my brow, I lean back against the leather-trimmed carbonfibre seats and set the air conditioning to full blast. The perspiration is mostly down to it being one of the hottest days of the year, but the GT’s mighty supercharged V8 is also pulsating inches away from my head. Ahead of me, the steering wheel sits dead flat, while the pedals are slightly offset to the right, their circular-patterned metal faces feeling reassuringly solid and grippy underfoot.
Pulling out of Ford’s Heritage and Innovation Centre in Daventry that now houses its sizable collection of classic and more modern machinery, out in the open and with the sun illuminating every surface, I’ve got an itchy impatience to find out what this beast is really capable of.
By the time I reach a quiet stretch of road, heatwaves are rising from the radiator which is barely contained beneath the long and low bonnet, and if being cooked in an exceedingly beautiful supercar is the way I’m going to go, then I’ve accepted my fate.
Turning towards the middle of the car, the gearlever is angled to the left, and the cool aluminium gear knob is something I’m anticipating needing to reach for more often, but it seldom wants shifting. Nevertheless, the core of the driving experience is this delightfully mechanical manual gearbox. You have to realign its setup in your mind, because the gearlever’s angle means third is where first would usually be, and reverse requires a two-handed pull over and up towards the door. But the more you move through the gears, the more intuitive it feels.
The rev counter is placed directly in front of the steering wheel and the speedo is cast aside to the far right of the dials like in the original GT40. Revs and sound are what guide each gearchange, and it’s close to impossible to make use of all six gears on the road. In second the GT unleashes a deliciously absurd amount of brute force. The road disappears before third is of any use and the fields rush past in a blur of yellow and green.
Lift off the accelerator and the world slows down, like the peak of a roller coaster in the moments before it teeters over the edge and plunges to depths that force you back into your seat. While plenty of cars have far more than 550bhp, there’s something about the GT that taunts you to keep pushing its limits, like a pure track animal that shouldn’t be let loose on the roads.
As a nod to Ford’s racing heritage and its intent to return to motorsport, the GT was pitched as ‘The pace car for an entire company’. Its release came at a poignant time, with the GT name brought back to celebrate Ford’s centenary. The car also played a part in the company’s Living Legends programme which saw the likes of the Mustang, Thunderbird and Forty-Nine concept tour North America. The idea was to illustrate Ford's successes in its first 100 years and hint at the roadmap for its next chapter, with some of the Living Legend models making it into production.
Even before the GT was released for the 2005 model year, it was always destined to be a classic. Just over 4000 examples were produced and with looks echoing the original GT40, it attracted Ford fans both old and new. Two decades later it’s still unthinkable that a car like this was actually built. Traditionally associated with family and utility vehicles, hot hatches and the occasional muscle car line, the GT was so out of contemporary character, but was also a much-needed flagship for Ford to show it still had the ability and know-how to create a supercar.
Pulling away from a roundabout, as the revs rise, the tick-tock of the turn indicator grows increasingly high-pitched, like a kettle on the boil. When it clicks off, engine roar fills the cabin, making me want to throw my head back in a maniacal laugh. Impressively torquey and ready to tear itself apart, there’s a gritty, defiant quality to the GT’s rigidity and levels of grip.
Now that we’re better acquainted, Ford’s retro-modern exotic is no longer quietly dangerous, more overtly brawny. You still can’t take your eyes off the road though, and you can’t hold any thoughts away from where to put your hand on the steering wheel, or where to find the accelerator – instead of accidentally tapping the brake – because it’ll finish you off. It makes me think of frolicking in the sea as a child and being told never to turn my back on it. The waves are inviting and charming once you get over the shock of the cold, but the tide can turn just as quickly and pull you under. There’s a mischievous quality that makes you want to learn the hard way how ridiculously powerful it is.
This is exactly what Ford wanted to deliver and all for a fairly reasonable as-new price of just over £120,000. Two decades later it feels as aerodynamically advanced as a modern supercar and it’s no wonder it stunned customers and journalists alike. Although Ford hadn’t made a machine like this since the Sixties, it hadn’t forgotten how. Because of impending crash regulation changes, its anniversary present to itself only lasted until 2006, before the idea was resurrected for a third time ten years later.
On narrow country lanes, this left-hand-drive beauty finds its achilles heel. Unless the road is straight, it’s pointless trying to go fast, and pulling out of hedgerow-lined junctions is more a matter of blind faith than calculated risk. With a passenger by your side it’s much easier to negotiate these scenarios. Unlike the GT40, the GT is much more comfortable to travel in with company, a brushed magnesium centre tunnel dividing the cabin. The GT40’s large sills push the driver and co-pilot very close together, but for its early 21st century reimagining, Ford has given the driver and passenger a little more personal space.
Aside from the handbrake, gearlever and climate controls, the centre console is bare. When the GT was launched, Ford proudly announced in its marketing literature that it had no cup holders. While it would be fun to see how quickly you could make a cup of coffee shoot out of its receptacle, this is perhaps why it was left out of the specification. Instead, a small pocket on the rear bulkhead between the seats caters for any bits and bobs that would turn into potentially harmful projectiles at speed.
The toggles on the dash give an aeroplane switch panel aesthetic and the dials stay true to the GT40. While the GT was the pinnacle of Ford’s lineup at the time, there are a few features that, probably inadvertently, pay tribute to its other models. The silver-coloured plastic air vents wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Fiesta, and the Blaupunkt radio seems like an aftermarket addition but was apparently standard fitment. Most owners went for the optional McIntosh Audiophile System with a CD player and eight-inch subwoofer, but it’s doubtful either would have been used very often, if at all. The sheer vocal range of the V8 in each gear is enough to keep the driver entertained.
With just fewer than 14,000 miles on the clock, this GT is a gorgeous homage to its racing forefather. Although most people have a love-hate relationship with its doors – which cut into the roof just like the GT40 originals – I reckon they’re a genius design. Sitting in the car with the doors open makes it feel like a convertible, but getting in and out requires a touch of confidence and a good set of knees. Rather than using the door to help you up, the best technique is to rise straight up from the seat, although elegantly getting up from virtually sitting on the floor is far easier said than done.
As I round the corner and Ford’s Daventry site comes into view, I realise that I’ve been holding my breath. After all my initial anxiety faded away, adrenaline soon took its place. Now, as my journey draws to an all-too-quick close, I’m frantically searching for reasons why I need to spend longer in the GT. It goes without saying that it's completely impractical for 90 percent of road use, but then it’s not designed for driving from the traditional A to B – there’s never a ‘B’ in mind. It’s like running and not knowing where you’re going to end up. All of a sudden you realise that you’re sweaty, out of breath and completely unfamiliar with your surroundings.
When I compose myself and manage to clamber out one last time, the GT now looks harmless. Apart from the intense heat radiating off the rear deck, you wouldn’t know what this stunning piece of motorised art is concealing underneath. Although it will always be inextricably linked to the GT40, it’s no mere remake. I’m beginning to think maybe Ford did it a disservice by referencing its Sixties legend in its modern iteration’s name. In fact, the 2005 GT is entirely its own take on raw strength and performance inspired by the original. But even if it had no predecessor, it would still undoubtedly be Ford’s stand-out triumph in its century-long history. It would also be a very appropriate way to mark its centenary – and that remains true 20 years on.
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