Ford Confirms a GT Successor for Both the Road and Track

2005 Ford GT (Credit: © Ford)

There have been tons of rumors and plenty of speculation about a successor to the Ford GT, which grabbed the attention of many and broke their hearts with some quality issues. Regardless of its not-up-to-MSRP build quality and mechanical letdowns, the GT was still an icon in the industry and was the successor to a legend in the GT 40. Almost immediately following its elimination after the 2006 model year, American supercar enthusiasts began asking for a successor, but the automotive market was in shambles and the money to develop a replacement simply wasn’t available. Now here we are eight years after it elimination, and according to a report from Autoweek, those folks will get their wish granted at the jam-packed 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

The Autoweek report claims that “sources close to the program” have confirmed that the GT successor is, in fact, under development, and it is slated to debut at the Detroit Auto Show. Interestingly enough, the new supercar program is two-fold, according to Autoweek’s source, as a road-going version will debut in Detroit, while a racing model will come later. The latter will see use in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Ford has done a surprisingly good job of keeping all of the specifics behind the GT successor under wraps, so the technical bits remain unknown . Most speculation points toward the new supercar using a supercharged or turbocharged version of the flat-plane crank, 5.2-liter V-8 found in the 2016 Shelby GT350. However, Chip Ganassi Racing, the folks who’ll be racing the GT, once touted Ford’s commitment to relatively small-displacement forced-induction engines, which opens the door for a heavily modified version of the company’s twin-turbo, EcoBoost V-6.

If I were a betting man, I would toss my money on the boosted, 5.2-liter V-8 being the engine of choice for the GT successor. Not only is it a far more exclusive engine, but it is designed straight from the factory for race application.

In terms of design for the upcoming GT successor, Autoweek’s source said that it will not feature a retro look like the 2005 and 2006 GT did. Additionally, the source confirmed that it may not even carry the GT name.

We’ll learn all of the details on January 12, 2015 when Ford unveils it. The news should be out relatively early, as Ford’s press conference is scheduled for 9:10 a.m.