Ford Is Bringing Back The GT And Wants To Dominate Ferrari At Le Mans Once More

In 2016 Ford will be celebrating half a century since it secured its first historic win at Le Mans, the first of four consecutive wins at the iconic 24 hour race. To mark the occasion, the Blue Oval appears to have an incredibly special surprise up its sleeve.

Motor Trend is reporting that several sources have come forward saying that a successor to the GT - the low-volume 2005 Ford supercar inspired by the old GT40 - is going to be revealed, though not necessarily with that name. Furthermore, it is believed that Ford has a skunkworks team working on a mid-engined supercar that will not only tear up the streets, but also Le Mans. 50 years down the line, and it looks like Ford wants its endurance crown back.

The interesting question is what engine the new ‘GT’ will use. The 5.4-litre V8 the 2005 car packed is no longer in production, so we can expect to see an EcoBoost engine in the race car. The likeliest option is to use the twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine Ford supplies to Daytona Prototype cars in the Tudor series. In that guise, the engines make about 600bhp. It also charged to victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring this year.

The road car is a different story, however, and it’s here that Motor Trend makes a very valid and interesting point. The only reason Ford entered Le Mans in the first place is because Henry Ford II was miffed with Enzo Ferrari, and wanted to teach him a lesson.

Ford is remaining tight-lipped, but a number of reputable American magazines have spoken to sources within the company and appear confident that the new car is going to happen. It’s only speculation at this point, but considering the last GT was built purely to commemorate 40 years of GT40, Ford would be missing a trick if it didn’t make a big deal of its 50th.

The new Mustang GT350 will run an uprated 5.2-litre version of the Coyote V8, making 435bhp, and the new ‘GT’ will likely use the same engine but make significantly more. With the Ferrari 458 Speciale running a similar flat-plane crank V8 that makes 597bhp, it’s no leap to imagine Ford’s engineers using the extra displacement to destroy the Fezza out on the road. What better way to commemorate that first victory at Le Mans?