Zac Quinn 
It should be clear by now that the Ford GT is sunsetting, with Multimatic moving on to build next-generation machines like the Ford Bronco DR, the entire line of S650 Ford Mustang race cars, and the $300k Mustang GTD super muscle car. However, there are still things that the Ford GT hasn’t done, like race around the Nürburgring and record what the lap time would be. Many anticipate that it would be outstanding, but for some reason, Ford Performance has so far shied away from the infamous race track. Instead, they recently released photos of a blacked-out car weaving its way around Sebring International Raceway in Florida, and it looks fantastic while doing it.
Ford GT Mk IV: Details
The Ford GT Mk IV is named after the GT40 Mk IV race car from 1967, also known as the “J-Car.” Development of the Ford 427 cubic-inch V8-powered J-Car led to the untimely death of driver Ken Miles (J-3) before winning Sebring with Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren behind the wheel later that year in chassis J-4. Chassis J-5, J-6, J-7, and J-8 would go on to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year. As for the more modern version of the Ford GT Mk IV, the track-only supercar punches 800 horsepower from a “larger displacement” EcoBoost V6 engine, the most output from any production EcoBoost yet. The wheelbase is extended slightly, giving way to a “long tail” design inspired by the original GT40 Mk IV. Only 67 of them will be built.
As you can tell by all of this information, there’s plenty of reason we would want to see this car race its way around the Nürburgring to post a lap time, and we have a hunch that it would be under 7 minutes. Unfortunately, we may never see the car taken to the legendary race track as Ford has already revealed plans to take the recently unveiled Mustang GTD to the track. That car is estimated to cross the finish line of the 12.9-mile course in under 7 minutes. That’s up at the top of the leaderboard with the best of them and a time practically unthinkable a few years ago.
Cars like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series have surpassed the 7-minute mark, with the GT2 RS lapping the ‘Ring in 6 minutes and 47.3 seconds in September 2017. Following that, it set a new record of 6:41 in June 2021 with the assistance of Manthey Racing upgrades. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series ran around the circuit at 6:43.61 in November 2020, making it the fastest “front-engined” car to do the dance. As for the Ford GT MkIV, we think it could give the Porsche and Mercedes some serious competition, though Ford Performance may never take it to the Nürburgring, a track known as The Green Hell. Perhaps because the last thing they want to do is have the GT overshadow what’s meant to be its replacement, the Ford Mustang GTD.
