The Ford GT Died So the Mustang Could Take on the World
Ford wants to connect its racing efforts to attainable cars, CEO Jim Farley says.
Heartbreaking though it may be, it doesn't seem likely that we'll see another Ford GT anytime soon. For the moment, Ford seems to be more interested in making Mustangs, Raptors, and other more affordable enthusiast cars instead, according to CEO Jim Farley, who recently said as much on an episode of the Top Gear podcast.
"As far as another GT, what we want to do with the company is connect our investment in racing to actual derivatives customers can buy. And we get more turned on by having a [Mustang] GTD or a Dark Horse Mustang than we are a prototype car," Farley told Top Gear podcast host Jack Rix.
While Farley didn't dismiss the idea of another GT, he did emphasize that Ford wants to make cars that will be driven, rather than collector's items.
"Would we [make a GT]? I'm not going to say no to that, but that's not really what gets our motor going," Farley said. "What gets us going now is to make vehicles that people can buy and cherish and go to a car show and talk about. Not things that are in a collection gathering dust."
Admittedly, the Mustang GTD is a $300,000-plus road-going race car, and only 2,000 will be made, so it could easily fall into the "gathering dust" category. However, the GTD seems to fit Farley's plans for selling race cars to customers. And, unlike the case with the GT, you can run out and order a much more ordinary, affordable car that looks sort of like it right now.
This isn't a new sentiment, either. Last August, Farley revealed that the most recent Ford GT wasn't initially supposed to happen. Instead, Ford wanted to win Le Mans with the Mustang, but its racing partner Multimatic ran simulations on the previous-gen pony car's body and determined it wouldn't have been competitive enough to win. So instead, they built the Ford GT.
However, if there were to be another Ford GT, as Farley did leave the door open, it would likely be some sort of hybrid. When asked if a next-gen GT would be entirely electric, Farley indicated that a hybrid powertrain—with both internal combustion and electric power—holds more potential.
"I think the market is telling us that partial-electric is really the way to go on the very, very high end," he said. "You can still get all the benefits of the acceleration but [without as many] limits."
So don't expect a new Ford GT anytime soon. You can never say never in this industry, as plans change constantly, but today Ford seems dedicated to winning at racetracks around the world in Mustangs. And where there are no roads, there'll be a Raptor.
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