Lucas Bell 
When Ford began development of the third-generation GT back in 2013, they set out to build a world beater. The ultimate goal was to capture a victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2016, which marked the 50th anniversary of Ford’s triple podium finish and the first overall Le Mans victory for an American Manufacturer. The Ford GT succeeded in both of these categories, but today its position atop the Blue Oval’s horsepower throne has been challenged by the Mustang Shelby GT500. This might not be the case for long, according to The Drive.
While interviewing with the outlet at the Mustang Shelby GT500 launch earlier this week, an anonymous source from the Ford team suggested that the Dearborn automaker might still be planning a more extreme version of the Ford GT. This came as the source was questioned about the vast power differential between the new super muscle car and Ford’s mid-engined halo car.
The Ford GT was designed as a racer through and through, and Ford had to consider FIA homologation rules and regulations when designing a powertrain to wedge into the car’s tight middle section. In the end a version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine found in the F-150 Raptor pickup truck was developed for the supercar, which shares almost 60 percent of its parts with motor found in the off-road pickup. In GT spec the twin-turbo V6 pumps out a healthy 647 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful V6 engine Ford has ever produced.
The problem with that is, the new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 muscle car lays claim to the most powerful car Ford has ever unveiled, regardless of cylinder count. Total output is 760 horsepower, and 625 lb-ft of torque.
Making this extreme ‘Stang kick is a 5.2L V8 with a massive 2.7-liter Eaton TVS R2650 supercharger laid on top, the same blower found on the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Horsepower in the hyper C7 comes in at 755 hp, with 625 lb-ft of torque on tap as well.
There is no doubt that these two cars have very different approaches to performance, designed with different tasks in mind. That being said it makes sense that Ford might not want to overshadow their $450,000 mid-engined supercar before it leaves production in 2022. Now that the GT is no longer racing following the 2019 season, it would be a good time to bring attention back to the model with a more extreme version, perhaps as a street going variant of the Ford GT MK II. We will have to wait and see what is planned for Ford GT, but it sounds exciting.
