A good V8

We couldn't have expected any other powertrain in the GT. Ford stuffed an Eaton-supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 in it. It develops 550 horsepower, but according to the engineers, it could easily attain 700. It provides 500 lb-ft of torque; those are the same numbers than the 7.0-liter engine that allowed them to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. This new engine is entirely made in aluminium. It's coupled to a Ricardo 6-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential. The result is an easy transfer of the power with little wheel slip, and allows for confident corner exits, if the tires are in good shape. Even the shift linkage feels surprisingly light for such a machine, so it's easy to master. Shifts are short and easy to guide. Braking is assured by four-piston Brembo calipers and huge vented discs all around.

A career that's too short

The Ford GT is in its last year of production, and will only have lasted three years. The last models will come in September. However, it isn't Ford that wanted to end the car's career that way. Although the GT is expensive to build, Ford knew that the car wouldn't pass the 2007 crash test standards, because in the United States, occupants must be protected against themselves. In many states, seat belt use is not mandatory, since individual liberty prevails over reason. The occupant protection standards aren't changing, so manufacturers must create even more absorbing structures, and curtain airbags all around the cabin. That's why the Ford GT's career will end so soon.

In Canada, we are lucky to have received a certain number of units that satisfy our collision standards. Ford mandated a Canadian firm to modify and homologate the car with Transport Canada: bumpers, daytime running lights and instrumentation. The ministry didn't require Ford to crash a vehicle; computer simulations confirmed that the car would resist impacts. In addition, only 200 cars will be offered in Canada. And they are almost all sold...

On the track

The Ford GT doesn't growl, it leaps with grace and finesse. I found it easy to adapt to this $200,000 machine. We were doing laps on the Nelson track at the Shannonville circuit, a very small and sinuous track, and a technical track as well. I could use either the third gear all around, thanks to the abundance of torque, or I could downshift to second gear to fully exploit the car's power. In the blink of an eye, the car climbs in speed, but too quick to be able to read the speedometer placed on the right side. Ford says the car can attain 330 km/h. However, on a short track, in the hands of its genitors, we'd hit 220 km/h at the end of the straight portion. In my case, I think I reached 160 or 170, maybe more, maybe less, since you don't realize how fast you're going thanks to the car's docile behaviour.

Braking is phenomenal. I had the opportunity to lap both GT models several times, one was red and the other one was painted in Gulf's colours. At the end of the afternoon, the rear tires of the latter were bald, to the point of losing adherence, and the car was fishtailing at the slightest excessive solicitation of the gas pedal. In fact, a fellow journalist lost control of the GT, but gladfully regained it. Exiting a corner right before the straightway where I was about to push it hard, I felt the rear end slipping. The GT is so well balanced that it tells you in a split-second what you're going to do; by lightly lifting off my foot from the gas pedal, I could easily regain control of the rear end and blast off down the straight.