Ford Caves to Demand and Slates Even More GT Supercars for Production

By Jonathon Klein Published October 24, 2018

An impressive 6,500 people pleaded with the company and offered up their bank accounts when Ford opened the order books for the blue oval’s brand new GT supercar. Of those 6,500, only 500 were originally selected. Ford decided that, with so much interest in the supercar, why not pump out 500 more, especially considering each carries a whopping $450,000 a pop price tag? Now, Ford is continuing the gravy train and offering another batch of 350 Le Mans-derived machines.

With these additional GTs, that brings the production up to 1,350 cars total. However, those who purchase these final cars will be waiting for some time as Ford doesn’t project delivery of these cars until at least the end of 2022. That means, when all is said and done, the GT will have been produced for eight years. In the supercar world, that might as well be centuries. However, for those willing to wait, they’ll be getting a tried-and-true racecar for the street.

2019 Ford GT — 2019 Ford GT. Ford

For those unfamiliar with the Ford GT, the supercar is derived from the company’s Le Mans-winning GTLM racecar; both racecar and road car are built by Multimatic in Canada along the same assembly line. The Ford GT uses a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 engine that produces 647 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque sent through a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. And while Ford has focused the GT to decimate racetracks, like all good supercars, it too can hit a magical 216 mph top speed.

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According to Ford, “The response to our Ford GT has been unprecedented, with initial demand outstripping supply by more than six-to-one. By extending the Ford GT production run for a limited period, we’re able to maintain the exclusivity of the ultra-desirable supercar while offering the ownership experience to a greater number of customers.”

But here’s the thing: As mentioned earlier, with such a long production cycle, the Ford GT has the real possibility of losing its luster. We’ve actually seen a handful of the GT’s lap records tumble already to competitors, and cars like the McLaren 720S and Ferrari Pista are still relatively early in their production and they’re miles better than the GT. We’re not sure this is the best idea for Ford, only time will tell.

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Supercars

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jonathon is a former contributor to The Manual. Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments…

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