Not a Ford Fan but..........

[NJSPEEDER]

The new GT is a pretty car. Just unveiled, 600hp turbo 6cyl. Expected price tag around $150-200k would put it on the low end of super car costs and in the middle of the field for mid-engined for performance.

It will be interesting to see what the world, especially Ferrari and other more established sports car marques make of the new offering.

http://jalopnik.com/ford-gt-this-is-it-1678893649

[Blackbirdws6]

Mixed feelings on the engine but I'm sure it will perform. Great looking car and I love this particular shot (window from the rear wheel). It would have been pretty sick to see them do a TT flat crank V8 as a nice FU to Ferrari.

[ThoR294]

meh... I'll take this one

[The_Bishop]

The resemblance is uncanny:

[ThoR294]

Originally Posted by The_Bishop

The resemblance is uncanny:

[NJSPEEDER]

Seems like the styling teams of modern super cars are 75% made up of aerodynamicists any more. The result is some....ummm.....we will call them unique shapes.

Already been reading some interesting discussions based on the pictures on a few forums. Apparently the big duct from teh side to rear is supposed to work in 3 phases. First, as it passes the smaller vent behind/next to the engine the high speed air will act as a siphon creating low pressure that pulls hot air away from the engine compartment. Secondly the air will be split by the large rear wing creating down force and the wing acting it it will also increase air velocity for effect number 3. The third part is having the high speed air chop off the deck will induce vortices lowering drag as well as placing high speed air above the level of the diffuser which increases its effectiveness by making the boundary layer between the high speed air above the car and the lower speed/density air under the car more defined and sucking the rear into the road.

Ford has had a lot of success with the Ecoboost V6 in endurance racing already. It has several wins in the Daytona Prototype class using a lot of factory parts at the 700-750hp level. I know the V6 is going to catch some flack but for packaging its smaller and lighter and don't forget that even the likes of McLaren have used V6's recently with great success.

I fully expect the same thing as the last GT. Rich guys standing in line, paying way over sticker price, to be the first to stash one in the garage never to be used as intended or wrapped around a neighborhood tree because money can buy cars but not driver skill.

[wrong generation]

wonder if these will be another 2 year limited run or if they will make this a reg production car now.

[NJSPEEDER]

I hope they stick with it and evolve the car this time. The pace of advancement in the world of supercars is astronomical. So many advances in materials, engine and suspension controls, and even the dynamic handling controls seem to jump by multiple generations year over year. I know Ford isn't sitting on the cutting edge of these things and I think that puts them in a unique market position if they choose to pursue it. By acting as basically a junior or entry level supercar there is a much larger market segment to participate in than shooting for the $1mill and higher cars that the big names seem to be aiming for lately. Think of them in terms of being like Porsche 911, a fairly prestigious car at a price noticably above that of the Corvettes and GTRs of the world but well below even the cheapest Ferrari or Lamborghini. Ford can add some level of exclusivity since they will in no way have the capacity to produce as many per year as Porsche but without the snobbery that comes with the super obnoxious price tag of a million dollar car.

We will see how Ford handles it. Supposedly the commitment to the World Endurance Championship, including LeMans support, is for 5 years. The sanction allows cars to participate up to 3 years after production ends so yes, a 2 year run is a possibility. I just hope they see the opportunity beyond that.

I also hope they drag one down to Daytona so I can see it in person next week

[sweetbmxrider]

I love the styling. They nailed the rear airducting that gm flopped on big time. Really looks great.

[LTb1ow]

Meh.

Now the NSX...

dat ass

[NJSPEEDER]

The original NSX is iconic because of the beautiful simplicity of its lines. The new one......not so much. Not bad looking, not a beauty queen. The profile and dimensions almost make me think it should be a next generation R8 concept more than a Honda.

[sweetbmxrider]

[Paul Huryk]

Considering the price, placement (at the top of the Ford lineup), and competition, the obvious choice was a V8 with some boost - like the previous generation.

Even though the turbo V6 they are putting in has a good amount of power, it is still a 6, Ferrari puts 8s and 12s in their cars, Lambo 10s and 12s, Audi 8s, Benz 8s, BMW 8s...

Obviously development on a short run car like this is high, but adding another $25K to have the flat plane V8 with a pair of turbos is not going to shun buyers.

[Blackbirdws6]

NSX looks like an Acura and I'm sure it will perform well. Articles are swirling around regarding the demise of Ford V8s but time will tell if that's true.

[BigAls87Z28]

The GT is about flexing Ford's engineering and design prowess. It is not stuffing the biggest engine they have, slapping some turbos on it, and calling it a day. This is not a retro throwback. This is Ford's technological showcase.

[Blackbirdws6]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

The GT is about flexing Ford's engineering and design prowess. It is not stuffing the biggest engine they have, slapping some turbos on it, and calling it a day. This is not a retro throwback. This is Ford's technological showcase.

They couldn't showcase their technical prowess by using a special version of the 5.0 with a nice flat plane crank, high RPM and nice turbos to compete with Mclaren, Ferrari, etc? While I'm sure the 3.5TT ecoboost is derived more from their racing efforts and less the more common version, a V8 would have been better. But hey, what do I know. I can't afford it and I'm sure they will sell every single one built.

[Featherburner]

http://horsepowerkings.com/sources-f...0-after-20187/

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

The GT is about flexing Ford's engineering and design prowess. It is not stuffing the biggest engine they have, slapping some turbos on it, and calling it a day. This is not a retro throwback. This is Ford's technological showcase.

They put a truck motor in a sports car. Its sad that a TT V6 is a truck motor

[Paul Huryk]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

The GT is about flexing Ford's engineering and design prowess. It is not stuffing the biggest engine they have, slapping some turbos on it, and calling it a day. This is not a retro throwback. This is Ford's technological showcase.

Then they failed already. Their showcase is one of getting 80% there, not 100% as one with expect with their supercar.

Considering they had to engineer the body, chassis, suspension, and drivetrain (other than the engine), why would they use a pedestrian V6, even one tuned to 600hp? If it was an option for a lower tier model (out of two), it would make sense - but for a car that is probably going to crest $200k, not a great choice.

Acura learned with the original NSX how a subpar engine can kill a great car (over time) - the first few years the car sold well with the 3.0L motor, then competitors started matching or exceeding the power level. By the time they discontinued the car in 2003 it was underpowered with the 290hp 3.2L and you have to put forced induction to get any real power gains.

[NJSPEEDER]

Commentary about big cube motors is just talk about making what is supposed to be a super car into a muscle car. Yeah, Ford is an American brand so we do normally expect them to drop in the big inch power plant and grunt like Tim Allen. Al nailed the reality of super car building, engineering show case.

Keep it simple, look at the McLaren, yeah it's a V8, but only displacing 3.8 liters and only making 20ish more HP (from memory) than Ford's V6 before the hybrid system is added in. Or look at the new Porsche 918, once again 8 cyl's but only sitting on I think it is 4.5 liters and if memory serves making the same 600hp that the Ford does before the hybrid system is tacked on. And in both of these cases we are talking about sticker prices in the range if 1.5 mill. Even if we talk Lambo's you are already looking at doubling the sticker price and displacement to end up with maybe 100 more HP.

I think Ford nailed it. they created yet another entry level super car that is going to run with if not run rings around a pile of cars with big name pedigrees and double or triple the price tag.

[Blackbirdws6]

I was not suggesting to drop in a 6L+ V8 with a pair of big ass turbos for all the highway roll action. A smaller displacement, high revving V8 with a couple pairs of turbos would have been the home run in my mind.

[sweetbmxrider]

They should have stayed with a blower.

[Paul Huryk]

Tim,

This is an easy one...

Take the new 5.2L V8 that Ford is putting into the new GT350, add some turbos and easy 700hp (motor plus 8psi). Not going to double the price of the car, nor will it be "too big". Than even back it down to 4.8 to 5.0L and still get the number without the 25psi boost the TT V6 is going to need to hit 650hp.

I don't think the McLaren motor is "all that" - you can get 650hp out of a GN 3.8L, without the DOHC, 2 extra cylinders, or modern FI system.

Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER

Commentary about big cube motors is just talk about making what is supposed to be a super car into a muscle car. Yeah, Ford is an American brand so we do normally expect them to drop in the big inch power plant and grunt like Tim Allen. Al nailed the reality of super car building, engineering show case.

Keep it simple, look at the McLaren, yeah it's a V8, but only displacing 3.8 liters and only making 20ish more HP (from memory) than Ford's V6 before the hybrid system is added in. Or look at the new Porsche 918, once again 8 cyl's but only sitting on I think it is 4.5 liters and if memory serves making the same 600hp that the Ford does before the hybrid system is tacked on. And in both of these cases we are talking about sticker prices in the range if 1.5 mill. Even if we talk Lambo's you are already looking at doubling the sticker price and displacement to end up with maybe 100 more HP.

I think Ford nailed it. they created yet another entry level super car that is going to run with if not run rings around a pile of cars with big name pedigrees and double or triple the price tag.

[NJSPEEDER]

Ford has proven the reliability of the V6 under racing conditions already. They have won several races, including the 24 Hours of Daytona with it already.

The boost level is immaterial when the engine is built to it. If they built the 5.2 with a combo for 20psi the conversation would be how silly the lame 8psi version is.

Dimensional the V6 is shorter in both height and length and narrower, add in the dry sump and the height difference is even more dramatic. There is also the matter of 100+ lbs extra that the supercharged V8 weighs. Keep in mind that these factors mean way more to the physics of a sub 3k lbs pure sports car than they do in a nearly 4k lbs, 4 seater pony car.

As far as an engine not being impressive because you can make more power with something else, that is a conversation that will go on forever. If you have the check book for it you can make a phone call and buy 1000hp SBC's and thats without even having the benefit of overhead cams. There is always a way to make more power. However that does not always translate into production cars, be it packaging, reliability, cost, or some other factor.

[Blackbirdws6]

What is the weight difference of a V8/Blower vs V6 with a couple turbos? Just curious.