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| Road Test: Ford GT (2004-) |
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| Exotic Sports |
by: Andrew Frankel |
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Ford GT Gallery
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| DRIVING RATING: |
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The great thing about the 500lb ft of torque available is that it helps as much when you need to go slowly as when you want to go fast. The GT will toddle through town traffic in third gear, pulling from ludicrously low speeds with no fuss at all. The clutch is gentle and the steering light enough not to be a problem for any driver.
Being a very low, mid-engined sportscar, visibility is not great in any direction save straight ahead but nor is it so restrictive you don't dare take it out in traffic. The three mirrors give an adequate view around the car while, despite its all aluminium construction, the A-pillars are reasonably slim and easy to see around. The most astonishing thing about the whole GT experience is not its looks or its 500bhp power but the sheer, ludicrous ease with which such a potent device can be safely punted at great speed down a sinuous, switchbacked road. It is no exaggeration at all to say I felt more at home in the GT after five minutes of fast driving than I ever have in five years of driving 360 Modenas.
There's nothing trick in the suspension, just classical double wishbones at each corner controlling predictably vast cars but, as is always the case with such things, the magic lies in the execution. That it will corner flat and fast at huge speed will be of no surprise. Of rather greater practical interest is that when the limit is neared instead of becoming twitchy and nervous like any number of other mid-engined sportsters (the Ferrari among them), it just goes on begging for more. The steering is near perfect for a power-assisted system, with a precision, feel and directness you simply wouldn't change while levels of adhesion are such that, if the road is dry and the driver sane, it will deal with any challenge offered to it.
On the race track, the explanation becomes clear. The GT has been set up to understeer and it means that driving it at racing speeds is not the thrill you'd initially imagine. It's quick and competent - great fun even - but this is an environment where purpose-built track-day cars such as the 360 Challenge Stradale and Porsche 911 GT3RS are always likely to feel more at home. Then again, the Ford avoids entirely the compromises these cars force upon their drivers on the road so, on balance, it appears a more than fair exchange.
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Introduction A little over 40 years ago, Ford very nearly bought Ferrari before the... |
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