Ford’s new foray into the supercar market rekindles memories of happier times. Yet it comes at a point when consumers are beginning to tighten their belts and sales figures in the US are sliding. To fulfill its role, the Ford GT must rank highly in quality as well as desirability.
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Ford Motor Company will commemorate its 100th anniversary with the launch of the Ford GT, the spiritual successor to the legendary Le Mans conquering GT40. The new car is expected to break cover in June 2003, in time for the anniversary celebrations, and company chairman Bill Ford is likely to take the first car off the production line.
In 1963, Ford tried unsuccessfully to buy Ferrari. Stung by its failure, the company responded by creating the GT40, a grand tourer that entered the history books when it claimed the top three places in the 1966 Le Man 24 hour race. Following a legal battle, the new model will not carry on the original name, but it will be known as the GT and have a similar, instantly recognisable look.
The benchmark for the new GT is the Ferrari 360, a car that Ford bought, dismantled and re-made to see the standards it must match. It will be powered by a 5.4 litre V8 engine producing around 500 horsepower, and is likely to cost over $US100,000.
At that price, and after a disastrous couple of years in terms of quality control and product recalls (including the Firestone rollover debacle), Ford must ensure the GT is worthy of its racing heritage.
The glamour of its most desirable model will rub off on every ordinary Ford, but so will any embarrassing faults. Quality control will be made more difficult by the high number of suppliers involved in the project.
Ford must hope that there is sufficient demand for the luxury car at a time when new car sales are beginning to slacken, and when the company itself is trying to reverse its fortunes. The magnetism of the original Ford GT40 will help ensure the new car meets its sales targets, however, even as it signals the company’s intent to recapture its former glories.
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