Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

“The driver feels plugged into the
Ford through the quick steering
and the wide pedals, and
placement of the nose is easy as
it flows contentedly from bend to
hairpin to sweeper.”
such as—at the risk of hilarious overstatement—my
old Spec Miata racer, which likes
to corner under acceleration that settles
and stabilizes the car. The GT has so much
power and such a relatively light curb
weight of about 3250 pounds, ideally distributed,
that it easily overdrives its front
tires. In clumsy hands it behaves clumsily.
Johnson advises me to do my hard braking
in the traditional straight line, then
trail-brake or coast as needed all the way to
the apex. The GT, thus decelerating, now
wants nothing more than to rotate around
its axis like a gate swinging on a post. You
can also feel this effect if you lift suddenly in
an overcooked corner. Even in a scrubbing
understeer flail, the GT’s helm will snap-to
and answer. On the exits, you have to be
patient; mat the throttle too soon and the
325/30R-20 rear tires will break loose as the
boost builds. To be fast you must learn to be smooth with this car,
just like the pros. If you’re not, it’ll still play along, the breakaway
terrifically gentle and the various stability-control modes letting
you get more and more sideways without risking any damage.
At Le Mans, with the No. 68 Ford GT leading its class, the prize
almost at hand, Nair and a superstitious Pericak had been doing
their best to “keep the jubilation under control,” Pericak recalls.
Then the lead LMP1 Toyota quit in front of the pits with one lap to
go. “After that you could hear a pin drop in our garage.”
The Utah highways beckon, and the GT loves an undulating road
as much as a track. The driver feels plugged into the Ford through
the quick steering and the wide pedals, and placement of the nose is
easy as it flows contentedly from bend to hairpin to sweeper. Ferrari
drivers, spoiled by perfect steering, will not complain.
The GT’s radically
tapered fuselage is
an aerodynamic and
aesthetic win. But
it means that a Miata
has a roomier interior
and 12.5 times more
cargo space.
Without helmets to muffe the noise,
however, the GT’s cabin is downright loud,
the exhaust in certain gears at certain
throttle positions turning painfully boomy.
The seats with their weirdly tufted cloth
inserts barely recline, and the passenger
well has a big footrest across it that is just a
bit too close to the seat for a comfortable leg
stretch. The “trunk” is a joke, filled to
capacity by two rolled-up windbreakers.
The new GT is gorgeous garage candy for a
lucky few, but unlike the last GT, it won’t be
much fun on a long club rally.
Landing in Detroit after the race and
the all-night parties, Pericak had to help
Nair pull his suitcase down from the overhead
bin. Nair just looked at him and asked:
“Did we just win Le Mans?” For Pericak,
the victory effort and the spectacular if
somewhat uncomfortable road car that it
produced are “bittersweet—there were a
lot of casualties,” from Nair’s arm, which
eventually went into a cast, to the families
who didn’t see their moms and dads much
for two years.
This is a car built on sentimentality.
Sure, there were other reasons for the GT,
such as creating a technology test bed and taking Ford’s brand onto
the international racing circuit to be enhanced by its reflected glitz.
But ultimately, a family with serious resources just thought a class
win at Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of Ferrari’s famous drubbing
would be cool. And with a lot of sweat, a few tears, and a dash
of luck, their people made it possible. All of that is embedded in this
car. The experience is singular.
048 . FIRST DRIVES . CAR AND DRIVER . JUL/2017