Ford GT90 Concept (1995)
In 1995, at the North American Auto Show in Detroit, a new concept car from Ford was shown, which became the main show stopper of the exhibition. So the American giant again reminded everyone that there is gunpowder in the powder flasks and, in which case, the company can easily produce a Ferrari-level car, or even higher. No one climbed into your pocket for epithets – the GT90 was immediately dubbed “the wildest supercar on the planet.”
The GT90 pioneered Ford’s new corporate design, the New Edge, which would later debut on the Ka , Cougar , and the first Focus .and will last more than 10 years until it is replaced by Kinetic Design. But, of course, the title of “wild” GT90 received not only for its appearance, crowned with four exhaust pipes arranged in a triangle. And not for the active rear wing.
The highlight of the supercar was a six-liter 48-valve V12 engine, generously flavored with Garrett T2 turbines (there are already four of them here). 720 forces and 895 Nm of torque – such data was indicated by Ford in relation to their new engine, which was built from two cropped V8 Ford Modular engines (two cylinders were cut off from each block). Acceleration to 97 km / h for the supercar took 3.1 seconds, and the maximum speed was 376 km/h.
A 5-speed manual transmission borrowed from a Jaguar XJ220 supercar delivered power to the rear axle. Jaguar borrowed the front and rear suspensions for the GT90, in addition to the transmission, because the British marque was owned by Ford at the time. The lightweight carbon fiber bodywork contributed significantly to the stunning dynamics.
The body structure of the car was an aluminum monocoque, on which carbon panels were attached. To prevent the GT90 from melting when the engine is running at maximum speed, special heat-resistant ceramic elements were used in the design of the exhaust system – the same technology was used in the American Space Shuttle spacecraft.
In the available official photos, the interior appears to be purple, but according to those who have seen the interior of the GT90 with their own eyes, it is blue (the same blue as the Ford Oval). In addition, the interior, despite the presence of typical concept car solutions, is ergonomic – those few riders who were lucky enough to sit in it said that it was head and shoulders more pleasant and more comfortable than the interior of the Lamborghini Diablo.
The concept was thought out to the smallest detail, as Ford was seriously thinking about launching it into a series. And then, of course, take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Moreover, two journalists even managed to drive the car (however, the pen sharks were provided with a derated version of the car, which developed “only” 400 forces). One of these journalists was the notorious Jeremy Clarkson. And he spoke very simply about the GT90: “If heaven on earth exists, then this is definitely it. Quite possibly the best car in the world.” Jezza noted excellent dynamics even with partial engine output, as well as first-class handling.
It took Ford $3 million to create the concept car and six months of work. Serial production was eventually delayed, as the car required a few more years of final fine-tuning, and by the year 97 it could well be technically outdated, especially in terms of the jaguar heritage. Lead project engineer Fred Goodnow still regrets it.
Later, Ford brought to the assembly line a more understandable retro-style GT supercar, reminiscent of the legendary GT40 Le Mans car.
