2018 Ford GT

Ford is back at taking a crack at the who’s who of the supercar world. The original no bullcrap track car, the Ford GT is back with a bang in its 2018 edition. The 2018 Ford GT has been developed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 hour race win by the legendary GT40.  Dubbed the Ferrari beating sports car, the Ford GT sure looks the part with its amazingly sculpted body lines.

Rumbling under the bonnet is a 3.5L ecoboost unit that technically shares upto 60% of its parts with the Ford F-150 pick up truck. Push the gas pedal and the rumble turns into a roar as the car accelerates in a gravity defying manner.

The 2018 Ford GT comes with a price tag of $4,53,750 which puts it in direct competition with all the Lambos,Ferraris, McLarens and what not. All of them are significantly faster and cheaper than the GT. But, the GT has a few tricks of its own that sets it miles apart from every other rival.

The 2018 Ford GT is available in only one standard trim. To justify the almost half a million dollar price tag, Ford has installed a one piece carbon fibre tub as the cabin. The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 coupled with a 7 speed DCT propel the car forward at a dizzying velocity. This is an out an out track car that can you can also drive on public roads.

Trims	Ford GT
MSRP	$45,3750
Features	3.5L EcoBoost Engine. 647HP The lightweight body is made of carbon fiber Aluminum structures minimize the weight of the high-strength subframes

Other features on offer include a climate control AC system, 4 speaker infotainment system with nav and racing seats made out of carbon fibre.

We Recommend

The Ford GT is a flagship sports car by the manufacturer and has only one standard trim. We recommend you get one if you can because the production run is limited to only 250 units.

Engine and Transmission

Powerthing the Ford GT is a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 which churns out 647 hp @6250 rpm and 550 lb-ft torque @5900 rpm. The tranny is a 7 speed dual clutch automatic which is as spirited as the engine itself and provides razor sharp shifts at all times. The power is routed to the rear wheels which enables you to play with the throttle and let the car slide on its sides.

Comparing the Ford GT with its rivals clearly lays out its shortcoming. The major one is the price tag. The GT-R Nismo which features similar specs is almost 300 grand cheaper and even the much more practical and ‘user friendly’ V12 powered Aventador is $20,000 cheaper.

Models	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
MSRP	$4,53,750	$1,55,490	$4,34,135
Engine	3.5L ECOBOOST V6	NISMO-tuned 3.8-liter high-capacity twin-turbocharged 24-valve V6	6.5-liter 12-cylinder engine
Transmission	7-speed automatic	6-speed automatic	7-speed manual
Power	647 hp @ 6250 rpm	600 hp @ 6800 rpm	691 hp @ 8250 rpm
Torque	550 lb-ft @ 5900 rpm	481 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm	507 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm

Acceleration

As the engine is consist of a twin turbo setup, the turbo lag is apparent. Once the turbos have spooled up, all hell breaks loose. The sudden power pushes you into the seats as the vehicles accelerates generating crazy amounts of Gs. As one would expect, the 0-60 mph mark comes up 2.9 seconds and a quarter of mile is done in 11.6 seconds.

The Lambo Aventador leads the pack at both 0-60mph and quarter mile timings at 2.7 sec and 10.4 respectively. Even the Nissan GT-R Nismo manages to undercut the Ford GT’s 0-60 mph time by 0.2 seconds.

Models	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
0-60 MPH	2.9 sec	2.7 sec	2.7 sec
Quarter mile	11.6 sec @ 126 mph	11 sec @ 126.6 mph	10.4 sec @ 136.3 mph
Engine	3.5L	3.8L	6.5L
Emission (Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)	9.2	9.8	13.6

Braking

The biggest trick under the sleeve of the Ford GT is its lightweight construction courtesy of all the featured carbon fibre elements. The GT weight 3250 lbs which is considerably less than all its rivals. Less weight and low inertia allows the car to screech to halt from 60 mph in under 98 ft

All the cars in segment feature an almost similar breaking stats with the GT-R Nismo stopping in 1 ft less than the GT at 97 ft and the Aventador stopping in 1 ft more at 99 ft.

Model	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
Brake pads-front(in)	15.0	15.4	15.7
Brake pads Rear(in)	14.9	15.0	15.0
Curb weight(lbs)	3250	3911	4085
60-0 MPH (ft.)	98	97	99

 

The EcoBoost moniker on the V6 engine of the GT might fool some into believing that the car is fuel economic. It is certainly on opposite side of the spectrum as it quite easily one of the least fuel efficient cars in its segment.

The Ford GT manages 11/18/14 (city/highway/combined) mpg which is disappointing to say the least. The Lambo too is floating on the same boat while the GT-R Nismo takes away the cake with the combined fuel economy of 18 mpg.

Model	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
MPG (city)	11	16	11
MPG (highway)	18	22	18
MPG (combined)	14	18	13

Seats and Comfort

The seats in the Ford GT are made of carbon alloys which serves a function by reducing the overall weight. They manage to secure the driver and the passenger, who sit elbow to elbow with each other, even during the most spirited of runs. These seats are not comfort oriented at all and feel much better while you blaze down the track

There GT is has the least amount of passenger volume at 43 ft. cube. Both the GT-R and the Aventador are some way ahead in terms of passenger room.

Model	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
Passenger capacity	2	4	2
Passenger Volume(ft cube)	43.0	79	50
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	35.7/48.7/43.0	38.1/54.3/44.6	34.5/48.2/43
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg)(In.)	N/A	33.5/50/26.4	N/A

Infotainment

The infotainment on the inside features a 7 inch dashboard mounted screen with dial adjustors straight from the 60’s. The entire system has an old school aircraft feel it barring the rotary knob which adjusts the drive modes.

Ford’s SYNC 3 does all the software duty. Like in all the other cars, the SYNC works seamlessly and responds well to the inputs.

Cargo Volume

There’s just nothing to say about the cargo space on the Ford GT at all. The laughable 0.4 cubic ft of space available is not even enough to store half a duffle bag let alone anything bigger. This car is just not made with utility and practicality in mind

The Nissan GT-R Nismo with its long wheelbase features the biggest boot amongst its rivals. The Lamborghini Aventador follows closely at 5.0 cubic.ft.

Model	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
Volume (cube ft.)	0.4	8.8	5.0

Interior Features

Some the interior features of the Ford GT are

• Carbon fibre tub with integrated roll cage

• Carbon fibre racing seats

• Adjustable pedals

• Infotainment screen

• Rotatable instrument cluster

Dimension and Weight

The Ford GT makes use of its lightweight built to become the lightest out of its competitors beating them by being more than 600 lbs less than any of them. Not only is it light but it is also one of the longer and wider car in its segment. Also, the GT is the least tall car in the department which makes it look much smaller than its rivals.

While the Nissan makes use of its conspicuous make, the Lamborghini Aventador crowns itself as the longest and the widest in the segment.

Model	Ford GT	Nissan GT-R Nismo	Lamborghini Aventador
curb weight(lbs)	3250	3911	4085
Length(in)	187.5	184.6	188.2
Width(in)	78.9	74.6	79.9
Height(in)	43.7	53.9	44.7
Ground clearance(in)	4.7	4.3	4.1
Wheel base(in)	106.7	109.4	106.3
Track width(in) F/R	66.7/65.4	63/63	67.7/66.9

Exterior Features

There is a lot of stuff happening on the exterior of the Ford GT. Some of the key highlights are

• Active rear wing

• Active air intakes

• Active front spoiler

• Big dual exhaust

• LED headlights

Wheels

The Ford GT features 20’ carbon wheels which are skinny at the front thicker at the back. Overall, the tires on this car are extremely wide and grippy

 

3-point safety belt restraint system for all seating positions

Glove Box Door Integrated Knee Airbag

Driver's knee airbag.

Belt-Minder front safety belt reminder

Dual front airbags

Front-seat side-impact airbags

LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tether Anchors for Children)

Personal Safety System for driver and front passenger

Rear view camera

Safety Canopy side-curtain airbags

SOS Post-Crash Alert System

Illuminated entry.

SecuriLock Passive Anti-Theft System

Remote keyless entry system.

Nissan GT-R Nismo

The Nismo tuned GT-R is a brash, icky and very realistic supercar. Once the car starts to accelerate, the world around just warps in. It also has a very boy racer sorts look with its dual rear lamps. However, the Nissan just feels too fast to be on the street sometimes and the engine noise could definitely have been better.

If there is one car that beats the brashiness of the GT-R, Its the Ford GT. With it’s racing inspired design on the inside out , the car is just a live wire. It's very engaging and fun to drive. The GT-R might be much much cheaper but it’ll never be to as smile inducing as the Ford GT.

Lamborghini Aventador

Both the Aventador and the GT cost almost the same to buy. They might be in the same segment but both have different USPs. The lambo will ferry you at high speeds while still keeping you in the lap of luxury. The GT will tumble you upside down and around with its crude interiors and razor sharp and stiff ride dynamics but will definitely be the more fun to drive.

Also, the GT will be quicker on the track because of relatively much less curb weight. So if you find yourself going to the track regularly, the Ford GT is the car to buy and if you want practicality and ease while still going extremely fast, the Lamborghini Aventador is the weapon of choice.

The 2018 Ford GT is a track abomination and nobody in the supercar worlds can put a doubt to its racing pedigree. There is nothing on the car other than the essentials which would assist the car with its track going nature. There no short of speed assisting tech either. The interiors however are crude and the plastics might feel even cheaper than the entry level Fords and the manufacturer has turned a blind eye to utility and practicality as well. But, it doesn’t matter when you actually drive the the GT because its a sheer joy to drive. The chassis, the engine, the transmission everything involves and excites you like no other car. As there are only 250 GTs to be ever made, we see a future classic in the making.