Why We Already Miss the Incredible Ford GT

Ford was able to bid farewell to the GT with the track-only GT Mk IV. It was the perfect way to mark the occasion, allowing us to reflect on the six years or so we have had the supercar. Maybe one day though, we will see the GT make a remarkable comeback.

What made the Ford GT so incredible

A V6 engine might not have sounded exciting to some. But hey, the era of downsizing had started. And the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 under the hood, the most powerful EcoBoost Ford had ever built, was a great power mill, with its 660 hp on offer and 550 lb-ft of torque. A top speed of 217 mph or 350 km/h meant the GT was up there with the best supercars from the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and so on. A 0-62 mph time of just 2.8 seconds highlighted how quick it could be off the line. All this without any extra hybrid power too. The GT was all about ICE and turbo performance.

Something else that built up the reputation of the GT was its 2016 Le Mans win. In its first year back at the incredible 24-hour race and on the 50th anniversary of its 1966 win, Ford took victory at the event once again. The GTs finished first and third on the podium, with Sebastien Bourdais, Joey Hand, and Dirk Muller as the drivers of the winning car. Ford wouldn't win the event again but would finish on the podium. Its withdrawal from both the IMSA and WEC series is something racing fans still lament in 2023.

Why Ford discontinued the GT supercar

Production of the GT stopped at the end of 2022, and many wondered why Ford had chosen to end the run of its supercar. The answers are pretty straightforward. For starters, the model had got to the end of its production run one way or another. The GT is also a low-volume, high-cost production car. With so few produced each year, it would be hard for Ford to keep the GT rolling off the assembly line. And it would take away some of the car's exclusivity, and potentially eat into the market of its other models.

The Chevrolet Corvette C8 has, for example, eaten into the Camaro’s market and effectively killed it off. The GT could have done the same to the Ford Mustang. Ford's direction is also very different right now. Electric vehicles are coming thick and fast, with the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, the electric Transit, and now the new Explorer EV in Europe. For a world changing massively in automotive terms, the GT's production run would have ended sooner rather than later. It does feel like now is the perfect time for the GT to say goodbye. But it doesn't mean we won't miss it any less.

Will the Ford GT ever make a comeback?

A comeback for the mid-engined two-seater in the future is an unlikely prospect. The only way it might logically make sense is either as a special, very limited one-off run or as an electric supercar. A zero-emission GT is a very intriguing possibility and would be a great way for Ford to push the boundaries of its EV technology. The Mustang Mach-E GT is the closest Ford has got so far to a bespoke, sporty electric production car. And we know electric supercars are a thing nowadays.

We must stress that there are no rumors at all about an electric GT. Such a possibility is minimal, even if it would be exciting. We'd also bet that most people would love to see the GT make a return with a turbocharged engine, not with electric power.

We miss the Ford GT immensely

It hasn't been out of production long, but the lack of the GT in our lives is very much felt right now. Obviously not built for comfort and anything but cheap at almost half a million dollars starting price, it was still labeled as one of the greatest supercars of modern times, with the perfect styling that encapsulated the original GT40 and the best of contemporary design language. From the moment it was ditched, it left a gaping hole in the Ford lineup. But we do at least have the 2024 Mustang to fill the Ford performance void.

We won't ever rule out the possibility of a GT comeback, as nothing is really impossible in the automotive world. But we should remember just how good the GT really was, and hopefully, those who own one will keep them on the road for generations to come. Unless they prefer to turn them into garage queens, of course.