Page 29 - Experience Magazine Fall 2023

The Ford GT has always been a car of
extremes. The original – the famed GT40
of the 1960s – was built with one mission
in mind: win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The later generations, built in 2005-06
and 2017-23, were supercars that stood
head and shoulders above the legions of
commuter cars trudging through everyday
life, and were more than capable of
carving up racetracks as well.
The middle-generation GT in particular
was a shock when it was revealed in
concept form at the 2002 North American
International Auto Show, followed by
the announcement that the GT would
be going into production. The world got
its first peek at the production models
when Ford built three of them for the
company’s 2003 centennial celebrations.
“The Ford GT is the ultimate living
legend,” said J. Mays, Ford vice president
of design at the time. “It’s a true supercar
with appeal equal to that of the greatest
sports cars in the world but with the
addition of a heritage no one can match.”
When the mid-engine 2005 GT arrived in
Ford showrooms it set the standard for
performance, with an aluminum space
frame and hand-built, all-aluminum,
DOHC, 32-valve supercharged 5.4-liter V8
producing 550 horsepower. The powerful
engine was teamed with a purpose-built
Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission.
Heritage features included a clamshell
engine cover, doors cut into the roof,
racing-inspired toggle switches and
leather-trimmed, carbon-fiber ventilated
seats. In keeping with its exclusive nature,
only 4,038 Ford GTs were built for the
2005-06 generation.
But there are always those who push the
boundaries of even the cars that exist
- - - on the leading edge of performance.
THE COMBINATION OF SUPERCHARGER AND TURBOCHARGERS Hennessey Performance Engineering
(HPE) in Texas is one such outpost of
RESULTS IN ZERO BOOST LAG FOR AN INSTANTANEOUS HIT speed that has been elevating American
OF POWER. high-performance cars to new levels since
- - - 1991. The Mark IV Red 2005 Ford GT

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