Page 58 - Experience Magazine Winter 2023

2006 FORD GTs

THESE TWO REMARKABLE PETUNIAS WILL CROSS THE BARRETT-JACKSON
AUCTION BLOCK WITH NO RESERVE

Creating a sensation at the 2002 North American GT,” but the point was clear – the new car would
International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, the electrify Ford enthusiasts everywhere and once again
stunning GT40 concept car celebrated Ford Motor put the world’s best supercars on the defensive.
Company’s historic centenary and recalled its 1-2- A major player in the project yielding the
3 victory over Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans production-ready Ford GT was racer/manufacturer
in 1966. However, rather than simply serving Steve Saleen, who hosted Ford engineering,
as a modern throwback to past glories, the new marketing and design teams at Saleen’s Southern
concept car confirmed the venerable automaker’s California facilities for a month of discussions,
formidable design and engineering prowess. under the strictest secrecy. All great cloak-and-dagger
Rooted in a small gathering of Special Vehicle operations have interesting codenames and Ford’s
Team (SVT), Ford Racing and Ford Marketing planned new supercar was no exception, with the
personnel in 1998, the car that would soon Ford GT project cryptically codenamed “Petunia.”
enter production as the Ford GT was intended In the autumn of 2002, just 100 days after program
as a serious, purpose-built sports car to enhance kickoff, the first “workhorse” Ford GT prototype
Ford’s image and demonstrate the company’s vast was completed and operational. By May 2003, the
expertise in the performance field. To say that the first three cars were completed in time for the Ford
discussion group and the designers, engineers and Motor Company’s centennial festivities.
contractors who collectively brought the modern
Ford GT to fruition met their objective would be a Conceived as an ultra-high-performance sports car
gross understatement. for the road, yet without any racing pretensions,
the production-ready Ford GT’s engineering and
Rooted in Ford Motor Company’s longstanding construction principles were nonetheless consistent
tradition of translating its futuristic concept cars to with those of contemporary endurance-racing
production reality, the modern Ford GT’s lineage cars. Powering the new GT was a mid-mounted,
traces not only to the heroic GT40 of the 1960s but lightweight alloy V8 engine displacing 5.4 liters
also draws from the many advanced design and and featuring a Lysholm twin-screw supercharger,
engineering ideas put forth by the GT90 and V12 DOHC 32-valve cylinder heads and competition-
Indigo show cars of the mid-1990s. Credit for the type dry-sump lubrication. Producing 550 brake
2002 GT40 concept car goes to Camilo Pardo, head horsepower, the engine was paired with a 6-speed
of Ford’s “Living Legends” studio under then Ford gearbox/rear transaxle produced by Ricardo, a
Design Chief J. Mays. A rolling showcase of Ford supplier of racing transmissions for international
Motor Company’s design and engineering prowess, endurance racing. All-independent coilover
the GT40 was approved for further development suspension and huge ventilated Brembo 4-wheel
to production-ready status in the spring of 2002. disc brakes rounded out the GT’s sophisticated
Legalities soon forced a name change to simply “Ford mechanical package.

58 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE WINTER 2023