Photo: Ford
Introduced without anyone knowing that would hit them at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the second-generation Ford GT is not your usual supercar. In addition to the heritage, performance, and success in the World Endurance Championship, the GT also happens to be an exclusive breed.
The first example rolled off the assembly line in Canada towards the end of 2016, and at the time, the Ford Motor Company confirmed that Multimatic Inc. would build 1,000 units over a period of four years. But as it happens, the automotive manufacturing and engineering outfit fell short on the production target for 2017.
After reaching out to Ford, our friends at Motor Authority found out that 138 examples (out of 250 planned) were built in 2017 by the automaker’s Canadian partner. “We built into our process an extended ramp-up due to several factors such as global homologation testing and supplier constraints," explained a spokesman.
The problem that Multimatic faced with the first units of the GT was the rate of manufacture, “some supplier issues, and some minor delays in painting the special Victory cars.” To this effect, the 112 vehicles that should’ve been built in 2017 will be finished for the 2018 model year. On that note, can Multimatic pull it off?
“We’re sticking to our initial commitment of 1,000 vehicles,” further added the spokesman, explaining that Ford is committed to “building the vehicle for at least four years.” By using at least in his explanation, the official might’ve indicated that Ford will push back the end of production by a handful of months.
For people like you and me, this might not appear to be a problem. But for those who have placed an order or paid their cars in full without even getting a notice about the delay, the Ford Motor Company has some apologies to make.
On that note, is there anything left to squeeze out of the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6? In its most aggressive tune, the engine currently develops 647 horsepower (656 PS) and 550 pound-feet (746 Nm) of torque.
After reaching out to Ford, our friends at Motor Authority found out that 138 examples (out of 250 planned) were built in 2017 by the automaker’s Canadian partner. “We built into our process an extended ramp-up due to several factors such as global homologation testing and supplier constraints," explained a spokesman.
The problem that Multimatic faced with the first units of the GT was the rate of manufacture, “some supplier issues, and some minor delays in painting the special Victory cars.” To this effect, the 112 vehicles that should’ve been built in 2017 will be finished for the 2018 model year. On that note, can Multimatic pull it off?
“We’re sticking to our initial commitment of 1,000 vehicles,” further added the spokesman, explaining that Ford is committed to “building the vehicle for at least four years.” By using at least in his explanation, the official might’ve indicated that Ford will push back the end of production by a handful of months.
For people like you and me, this might not appear to be a problem. But for those who have placed an order or paid their cars in full without even getting a notice about the delay, the Ford Motor Company has some apologies to make.
On that note, is there anything left to squeeze out of the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6? In its most aggressive tune, the engine currently develops 647 horsepower (656 PS) and 550 pound-feet (746 Nm) of torque.
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