This Is The Ford GT Race Car That'll Compete At Le Mans Next Year

The Ford GT has a lot to live up to. The second it was revealed, comparisons were drawn with the old GT40 and its Le Mans-dominating exploits. It’s never been a question of if, but when the new car would be revealed in all its racing liveried glory as it attempts to live up to the old car’s reputation at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The original GT40 was conceived as an attempt to kick Ferrari where it hurts, and this time around Ford will be hoping it’ll be comprehensively dominant all over again. The new GT race car will be entered into the LM GTE Pro class, where it’ll also take on the likes of Porsche and Aston Martin; its opponents are old hands at this by now, so victory is anything but assured. It does have one thing in its favour though, as nothing else in its class will look quite as baddass.

The GT Le Mans effort takes the road car’s wide stance and aerodynamics-inspired styling to the next level, most notably in that massive rear wing, and a rear diffuser that protrudes proudly from the car’s back end. The GT’s chassis is made largely from carbonfibre. Power comes from the 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine that has already had success in endurance racing, and has been developed further by Roush Yates.

The new Ford GT will run the full 2016 schedules of the World Endurance Championship and Tudor United SportsCar Championship, making its debut in January in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

We’re already incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing this weapon tearing up the track, but it’ll be interesting to see if it can live up to all the hype. It’s been a long time since a factory GT raced at Le Mans, but with Chip Ganassi Racing behind the effort, it stands a great chance of upsetting a few people. Next season’s WEC will be one to watch…