When the all-new third-generation Ford GT hits the streets in 2016, it will in many ways be the most radical departure in the more than 50 year history of the brand. But that doesn’t mean this new edition has completely broken with its DNA. Enough hints of its heritage remain visible to connect this 21st century supercar to its ancestors while bringing it up to most modern technical and design standards. Ford recently invited us down into the secret basement room under its design studio to talk about how this car came to be.
In the fall of 2013, Ford leadership set out to create a rolling showcase for all of the latest highlights in the Ford portfolio from electronics to powertrains to materials and of course design. Some basic parameters were laid out before beginning:
- Power would come from one of Ford’s EcoBoost engines which are now available in every one of the company’s product lines
- It had to be recognizable as a GT without in any way being retro
- The car had to exhibit outstanding driving dynamics and overall performance
- The GT must utilize state of the art technology including materials and aerodynamics
The GT design lineage dates back to the 1962 Mustang I concept, but apart from that V4-powered one-off and the 90s-era V12 GT90 concept, all others in the lane have been powered by V8 engines, until now. You might wonder with a new flat-plane crankshaft V8 debuting this summer in the Shelby GT350, why not take advantage of that 500+ hp engine here? Aside from the obvious marketing consideration of promoting the EcoBoost brand, a turbocharged V6 offers some other functional advantages.
The 600+ hp, twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V6 traces its roots back to the engine that powered the Ford Flex and Taurus SHO beginning in 2009. Since then, that powerplant has evolved to become the most popular option in the previous-generation F150 and also a very successful racing engine in the Tudor United Sports Car series. That race prepped engine is now coming back to the street in the GT.
There is no extraneous carbon fiber on this car simply for aesthetic purposes, it’s all functional
Speaking of designers, the typical process when an automaker launches a new vehicle program is to have all of the designers in the studio submit sketches based on the initial design brief. When the design process for the latest Mustang began in 2010, hundreds of sketches from Ford studios around the world were put in for the review process. In this case, because Ford was being so secretive about the car, only a select group of seven or eight interior and exterior designers were invited to participate in the competition. The group included a balance of young designers with fresh ideas as well as more experienced hands.
Several of the early sketches had a clearly evolutionary look from previous GTs. This was most clearly noticeable in the retention of the separate upper and lower side scoops. However, as the process went on, they began to take advantage of the compact power package afforded by the EcoBoost V6. The rear fenders became physically separated or in design boss Moray Callum’s words “divorced from the fuselage. The two side intakes merged into one large intake on each side with only a slim flying buttress joining the roof to the top of the wheel arch.
The bodywork around the engine was pulled in tight and tapered toward the tail leaving a large open channel on each side to funnel air to the rear wing. Speaking of that wing, at lower speeds (relatively speaking), the wing is tucked into a near horizontal position with very low drag, giving the car a profile very similar to earlier GTs. As the speed climbs, the GT’s electronic control systems lift the wing higher and increase the angle of incidence to generate downforce commensurate with the velocity. Under braking, the wing tips up into a near vertical, high-drag air brake stance.
Extract more performance, deeper into the envelope, than 95 out of 100 drivers could achieve on their own
Almost everything about the detailing of the GT is driven by the desire for improved performance and efficiency. Openings in the leading edge of the rear fenders feed the twin intercoolers with the heated air exiting through the center of the taillamps. The cabin deliberately tucked in tight to reduce frontal area. Inside the seats are pushed close together with only a slim central tunnel separating them.
With the doors closed, it seems like the distance to step across to get into the seats would be immense. However, the sills are in fact barely eight inches wide. The butterfly style doors open out and up like previous GTs, but the side impact structure is actually built into the door and moves out of the way with it. This will make it considerably easier to get in and out.
One element missing from previous generations is the cut-out into the roof, with the side glass being frameless now. While the cut-outs looked cool and racy, they caused a lot of problems with sealing and tended to leak. The required structure which is now outboard of the occupants also intruded on the cabin space. With the doors open, a broad flat surface that is actually part of the underbody becomes visible and the interior buck in the studio actually had the GT logo embossed here although Callum acknowledged the team are still working on the graphic appearance of this surface.
Many of the design features of the GT are only possible today because of the availability of incredibly strong and lightweight carbon fiber composite materials. A side crash structure built into the doors and those slim buttresses wouldn’t be possible with earlier materials. So far no one is talking about the weight of the GT, but given its construction and the absence of a hybrid drivetrain like some other recent supercars, it should prove to be comparatively svelte.
Inside, the desire to keep the frontal area and drag to a minimum have led to the return of a design feature from that original Mustang I concept, fixed seats. While no one was using carbon fiber shells for seats in 1962, that diminutive roadster had adjustable pedals and steering with stationary seats. The lightweight thrones of the GT are bolted directly to the carbon fiber floor of the tub. The seat backs have 10 degrees of rake adjustment and the pedals and steering column each have 200 mm of adjustability.
One of the problems with designing a vehicle cabin is that you never know exactly where occupants are going to in the event of a crash. Thus the windshield header and A-pillars have to be placed further away to ensure protection for the driver and passenger. With a fixed seating setup, you always know where the occupants are relative to the perimeter of the car so everything can be brought in tighter. Plus as a bonus, this setup is lighter.
The GT has a very minimalist cabin with one reconfigurable LCD display for the cluster and a second in the center for the SYNC 3 display. With a seven-speed dual clutch transmission behind the V6 engine, there is no need for a shift lever, just a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel. A few climate control knobs sit next to the SYNC screen along with few along the slim center console. Everything else is on the steering wheel, including the windshield wipers and turn signals. All controls are readily available even as the driver remains in complete control.
All of the carbon fiber that is visible or otherwise in the GT including the slim beam spanning the distance between the base of the A-pillars is a functional structural piece. “There is no extraneous carbon fiber on this car simply for aesthetic purposes, it’s all functional,” adds Callum.
The new GT is a contemporary supercar that is claimed to be designed and engineered to maximize driving pleasure. It incorporates 21st century materials and technology with a nod to its heritage but no dependence on it. I can’t wait for a chance to drive it.
