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What If... The Ford GT Stood Tall as the World's Fastest ICE-powered SUV?

Alright folks let’s all settle down, this thing isn’t real and nor will it ever be, I don’t think. No, seriously though, Ford would never build this, they have no reason to build this and by the time they do figure out people will spend anything on ultra-fast and exclusive SUVs, the design language used on the Ford GT supercar would already be obsolete.
Ford GT SUV rendering 7 photos
Photo: Joao Kleber Amaral for autoevolution
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To be fair, I don’t think you can ever call the Ford GT obsolete in terms of how it looks, simply because its design is based on that of the original GT40, which is timeless. But for the sake of argument, if Ford was to build a GT-inspired SUV sometime in the next few years, they would probably need to upgrade the styling a little bit.

Anyway, let’s go back to where it all started for this nameplate, meaning the early 60s. That’s when a man named Ron Bradshaw put pen to paper and created one of the most iconic high-performance race cars the world has ever seen. The styling wasn’t entirely original though, because it was influenced by the Lola Mk6 race car, made by Britain’s Lola Cars.

Once the final design was approved, assembly began in both the UK and the U.S. - however it was in Dearborn, Michigan where the GT40 would finally come into its own, with the Mk II variant ruining Ferrari’s winning streak at Le Mans. It was the first major European win for an American car manufacturer since Duesenberg showed out at the 1921 French Grand Prix.

The Ford GT40 went on to win Le Mans four times (consecutively), to go with multiple other international titles.

Fast forward to the 1995 North American International Auto Show and Ford unveiled the GT90 Concept, followed by a new GT40 Concept seven years later. That’s what we call “toying with an idea”, because in the summer of 2004, production began in Ohio on the first-generation Ford GT.

Ford GT SUV rendering
Photo: Joao Kleber Amaral for autoevolution
Compared to its predecessor, the first-gen GT was bigger, wider and taller, powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine that tickled even Jeremy Clarkson’s buying bone – a choice he would come to regret very publicly.

Regardless, that thing was quick, needing just 3.5 seconds to hit 60 mph, while dispatching a quarter mile in 11.8 seconds. As for its top speed, a very respectable 205 mph (330 kph).

Then came the second-generation Ford GT, assembled in Canada at the Markham, Ontario plant. This was a relatively secretive project for Ford, which meant the engineers and designers could keep their heads down and focus on making the absolute best supercar possible - which they did.

Powering the second-gen Ford GT is a 3.5-liter twin turbocharged EcoBoost V6 unit, which now produces 660 hp (669 ps). It needs around 3 seconds flat to hit 60 mph, and over a quarter mile, it’s a genuine 10-second car.

So then, how does all this help the wandering tech millionaire/car enthusiast who wants to take his wife/Instagram model and two hyper-woke kids on vacay? Well, it wouldn’t. Because in-between private flights, rental Escalades and collectible exotics, they would also require something a little more practical for various day to day stuff.

Ford GT SUV rendering
Photo: Joao Kleber Amaral for autoevolution
This is where luxury SUVs come in, like the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne Coupe, Rolls-Royce Cullinan... the list goes on. If you don’t want to sacrifice a lot of performance, you’ll probably want the Urus, but (and we love saying this) WHAT IF there was an alternative that nobody saw coming – a sports SUV based on the current/second-generation Ford GT.

Wouldn’t that be something? Powered by that same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, wearing dope racing stripes, an active rear wing, massive wheels and so on. Basically, everything you see here, courtesy of our exclusive rendering.

You could argue that it’s a bit of an insult to everything the actual Ford GT stands for, and the history behind this amazing nameplate. But if Ford can risk tweaking the Mustang’s legacy by using the name for a fully electric crossover, they probably wouldn’t even think twice about other people’s opinions regarding the GT. Let’s not forget, “Mustang” beats “GT”, in terms of historical importance, any day of the week.

As for whether or not we’d actually prefer an SUV variant of the Ford GT over the Lamborghini Urus. Well, why not? The former would probably be just as quick as the Lambo, similarly priced and just as “pretty.”
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About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
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