After last week's mysterious teaser, Ford has lifted the wraps off a new hardcore GT supercar yet at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Meet the new Ford GT MkII, a limited-edition, track-only GT that unleashes the full performance potential of the great American supercar.
Compared to the standard road car, the Ford GT Mk II features an abundance of aerodynamic and engine improvements and shares key features with the street-legal GT supercar as well as the GT race car. Ford says "many of its components have been track-proven in the world's most challenging endurance racing events."
Among the new aerodynamic components include a large dual-element rear wing producing extreme levels of downforce, an all-new front racing splitter and diffuser, along with new fender louvers and dive planes that help balance out the extra rear downforce.
According to Ford, these aggressive aerodynamic changes enable the GT Mk II to generate over 400 percent more downforce than the Ford GT. No, that isn't a typo. The fixed aerodynamic elements, race-tuned suspension, and Michelin Pilot Sport racing tires also enable the car to pull more than 2 g of lateral grip.
As you would expect for a track-only supercar, the GT Mk II is also lighter and more agile than its road-going sibling. The street car's adjustable ride height and drive modes have been removed, reducing the car's weight by 198 pounds, while 5-way adjustable DSSV shock absorbers and a lowered and fixed ride height improve the car's handling.
Under the hood, the Ford GT Mk II is powered by the same 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine as the race car and road car. However, since the Mk II isn't restricted by any racing sanctioning, Ford has managed to increase the output to 700 horsepower – that's 200 more horsepower than the race car, making the Mk II the most powerful version of the Ford GT yet. All that power is sent through same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as the standard Ford GT but has been specially calibrated for track use.
To cope with this extra power, the GT Mk II features innovative engine cooling technology, including a high capacity air-to-air outboard mounted charge air cooler with water spray technology, a roof-mounted intake reminiscent of the race car engine air intake, and improved stopping power provided by the street car's carbon ceramic brakes, with 15.5-inch front and 14.1-inch rear Brembo brakes. These are housed in unique forged aluminium 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport GT tires.
Interior changes include a bespoke Sparco racing seat with a six-point racing harness and an optional passenger seat. A full MoTeC data acquisition system has also been added to provide vital information for a track racer, which also doubles as a display for the rear camera. Production of the Ford GT Mk II track car is limited to 45 vehicles with a $1.2 million starting price.
Live shots by Brian Smith (www.bms-photo.com; Instagram @bms_photo)