In its 2018 edition, Ford is a back with a bang. For decades, America’s highway was populated by the legendary Mustangs, Thunderbirds and F-series pickups from Ford brand. For people familiar with Ford’s racing car heritage and motorsports fans, there is ‘halo’ model which represents the marque in the best way. This halo model is a limited – edition Ford GT 0 60 sports car as well. Ford GT made its debut in 2004 during the time of Ford’s Centennial celebration. It made its mark as a modern as well as a road going interpretation of the GT40 endurance racing car. Incidentally, the car beat Ferrari for 4 years in a row from 1966 to 1969 swept the title of 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The 2004 model was upgraded in 2006 with the introduction to a handful of advanced technologies. The 2006 version sported an aluminum chassis, a super charged and mid – mounted V8 engine, super plastic formed aluminum body panels, cross – drilled Brembo brakes, a carbon – fiber engine cover, and a cap less fuel filler.
Features of 2018 Ford GT
More or less, the car remained largely unchanged from that of previous year’s version but yes, it did come with a bunch of new features and improvements. The 2018 version of the car is developed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 hour race win by the legendary Ford GT40.
Price –
Ford GT is tagged with a price tag of $453750. The price is comparable with that of Lambos, McLarens and Ferraris. Though almost all of them are significantly cheaper in terms of price and significantly faster in terms of speed than that of the 2018 edition of Ford GT, the Ford GT model is equipped with a few features of its own which has the potential to set it miles apart from the rest.
Almost 60% of the parts of this car match with that of the F-150 pick – up truck. The car runs with the help of a 3.5L eco boost unit.
Drag Strip Mode –
This mode simply optimizes the transmission for straight – line performance. When the car runs in this mode, when you are shifting, the engine torque does not drop. In simple words, you will get peak engine torque along with the peak horsepower throughout your drive. This Drag Strip mode is only available explicitly for the automatic transmission but is available also for manual transmission.
However, if you want to enjoy the quickest accelerations, then you should opt for the automatic one. All this is for the standard variant. Now, if the Performance package is included then this mode also changes the car’s MagneRide dampers settings. This provides greater traction by helping in weight transfer to the rear axle.
New features –
As you already know, the biggest upgradation done in this model is the automatic transmission. Apart from that, there are some more new features worth mention. For example, GT Performance Package will get sticky Michelin Pilot Sports 4 S tires and magnetic dampers similar to those which are on Ford GT350.
Trim Levels –
Ford GT 2018 edition comes with only one standard trim. The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine is coupled with a 7 – speed automatic transmission. In order to justify the big price tag, Ford has installed a one piece carbon – fiber tub as its cabin. The car comes with the options of a 10 – speed automatic transmission and a Performance package as optional.
It was assumed by market analysts that Ford GT will incorporate an engine which produces 455 horsepower. Interestingly, Ford announced that the car engine will not only produce 455 horsepower but 460 horsepower along with 420 pound – feet of torque. This massive engine power allows the car to run at the speed of 0-60 mph within just 4 seconds. However, if you want your Ford GT to run at this speed, then the 7 – speed automatic transmission won’t do the work for you; you will have to add the new 10 – speed automatic transmission and the Performance package. This automatic transmission is the same which one is used in the F-150 Raptor.
Conclusion –
There is no doubt that the 2018 edition of Ford GT is a track abomination and none can show doubt over its pedigree. There is no technological backwardness either but to be honest, the price tag is much more than most of its competitors. Moreover, considering such a high price tag, the interior design might look even cheaper than the entry – level Fords available in the market. The engine is also too much fuel consuming. Apart from these, Ford XT is still joy drive.