Ford GT40 Replica

Looking at Ford's latest supercar, the GT, its ancestry is obvious. Although taller and heavier than the original GT40, the GT is clearly from the same end of the gene pool. Yet its mission is primarily on the street—mean streets, to be sure, but creature comforts such as air conditioning would rarely be found on a pure track car. In contrast, the earliest versions of the GT40 were built essentially for Gran Turismo racing, hence the GT moniker, especially at Le Mans where 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight was the norm.

Looking Back
One look at the legendary GT40, and the first expression that probably comes to mind is "cruise missile." The shape is so slippery; with razor-edge lines as wind-cheating as the supersonic Blackbird SR-71. The car lives for triple digit speeds. Anything less seems a waste.


Comparisons with aircraft are surprisingly apt, as Ford designer Bob Negstad confirmed in an interview several years ago. He said race driver Ken Miles discovered that early prototypes of the GT40 had a disturbing tendency. At high speeds the nose would lift skyward, much like a jet on takeoff, so much so that he could crank the steering wheel in either direction and the car would just keep barreling along in a straight line.


Obviously more downforce had to be added to the aerodynamics after a hair-raising demonstration of this trait. That done, the design went on to win Le Mans four times in a row from 1966 to 1969, most notably being the sledgehammer finish of First, Second and Third places in 1966.


What does this bit of history have to do with the latest incarnation of the GT40 from Superformance? Well, for one thing, it's not merely a GT car with long legs. It's also a stoplight sprinter, thanks to some shorter gearing in First from the RBT transmission.