Ford
The Ford GT has been on an absolute tear. It was the talk of the Detroit auto show when it was first unveiled in 2015. Later that year, Ford announced that the car would bring the automaker back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to shoot for a repeat of the historic 1-2-3 victory in 1966.
Ford did triumph at Le Mans, taking first and third place in the GT's class (rival Ferrari took second). The company saw so much demand for the $400,000, 600-horsepower roadgoing GT that it extended production for an additional two years, beyond the planned-for 500 examples.
In creating the GT, designer Moray Callum and his team pulled out all the stops, crafting a ferociously stylish machine that's distinguished by its evocation of the Ford GT40s of the 196os and defined by a pair of butressing wings that aid in the kind of aerodynamic downforce that a high-performance racer car requires.
Callum's team worked in secret, in a modest, tucked-away corner of Ford's facilities in Michigan. Almost no one knew anything about the GT prior to its jaw-dropping Detroit auto show debut. But Ford did make a video about the studio, prior to the GT's Le Mans assault.
Check it out:
Just for reference, here's the legendary GT40 of the 1960s.WikipediaAnd here's the new GT, at the 2015 Detroit auto show.Thomson Reuters
Now let's enter Ford's skunkworks studio, where the car was created. We gradually enter a somewhat gloomy, very cluttered space. This is where supercars are born?Screenshot via YouTube
This guy is perfecting the GT's steering wheel. Car designers are some of last of the great users of modeling clay on Planet Earth. Note the numerous designs attached to the display board.Screenshot via YouTube
We get some big, inspiring color images of the car as we turn a corner.Screenshot via YouTube
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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