2017 Ford GT Gets Long Overdue Autobahn Run, Price Keeps It from Going All Out

However, under regular conditions, the role of the halo car should undisputedly belong to the Ford GT: the quickest, most expensive vehicle wearing the blue oval badge, and arguably the most beautiful as well. Not the most powerful, though – that title has to go to the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and its 750 hp.

The Ford GT only has 670 horses (650 hp for models older than 2020, which is the case here), but unlike the top Mustang, it gets all of them from a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine. That's probably part of the problem, so to speak, and by that we mean the reason why it's not enjoying quite the popularity its stature probably should command.

Being an American car (assembled in Canada, but still), the option not to give it a V8 engine was borderline sacrilegious. Ford, however, had other plans on its mind. The EcoBoost technology, used on smaller six- and four-cylinder engines, wasn't going to sell itself in the U.S., but using it on something like the Mustang for a top-spec version could have proven detrimental to the whole idea.

The GT provided the perfect platform: it's exotic enough to offer plenty of visibility, but it wouldn't rock the boat as much as messing with the Mustang. That sounds a bit ridiculous now that we know what they did with the Mustang Mach-E, but that model aside, it's a strategy that still makes sense. Besides, the V6 engine is much better suited for a lighter, more agile car, than a brawny one like the Mustang.

One effect that Ford may or may not have predicted is how well the GT would be received in the EU. The Europeans care less about the number of cylinders and more about sound, feeling, handling and performance. Case in point, AutoTopNL's Martin, the man doing the POV review in the clip below.

Unlike most Americans, he won't even bat an eye at the fact it lacks a V8. Sure, the straight-line acceleration performance is a bit disappointing - 3.5 seconds for the 0-60 mph sprint in his real-world testing. But bear in mind it's a four-year-old car that's been seriously abused – but everything about the GT screams "racetrack".

The design holds up great after all these years, and the fact their price has gone up isn't at all surprising. Remember you can't just walk into a Ford dealership with a briefcase of money and expect to pick one up, so they're becoming quite the collectible item.

AutoTopNL reviews – or any of their videos, for that matter – usually contain an Autobahn top speed run where they max out the vehicle on Germany's iconic freeway network. But Ford UK, the owner of the car, apparently didn't agree to it. Instead, they set a top speed limit of 155 mph (250 km/h). Adhering to that must have been a pain for Martin, but being a professional, he did. Even so, the POV angle, the sound and also the commentary, all turn this review into a great experience.