American's favorite supercar was once owned by the performer.
Ford has a rich racing history surrounding its iconic GT40 that won "24 Hours of LeMans" four consecutive times from 1966-1969. Decades later, Ford unveiled a GT40 concept car at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2002, and it hyped up car enthusiasts for the possibility of a production mid-engine racecar. Shortly after, Ford released its plan to produce a different version of the GT40 concept car, and the first-gen Ford GT was born.
Built as a performance powerhouse, the 2005 Ford GT’s heartbeat is supplied by 5.4-liter V8, topped with a twin-screw Eaton supercharger. With this setup, the car generates 550-horsepower and 500 lb/ft of torque and is shifted via a Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission. Functional rear scoops feed air into the hungry engine, and a helical limited-slip differential transfers the power to the ground. A stiff construction is necessary for a car of this caliber, so the car was given a lightweight aluminum space frame and body.
Dashing from 0-60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, the Ford GT was given a top speed at almost 200 miles per hour. With all of that power on tap, stopping power is just as important. Big Brembo four-piston aluminum brake calipers work in conjunction with cross-drilled and vented rotors do the job with ease. Alloy BBS wheels (18-inch front, 19-inch rear) wrapped with Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber sit on all four corners. While performance is the key ingredient, the GT also comes standard with a Macintosh sound system.
