In the 1990s, car manufacturers were not restricted by various emission limits or the consumption of their models. This is also why this era favored super sports . Think Ferrari F50, McLaren F1 or Lamborghini Diablo. However, America also wanted to contribute a bit to the mill, and so in 1995 the Ford GT90 concept was created.
Officially, it was a spiritual successor to the legendary Ford GT40 , but it was never supposed to go into production. In its press release at the time, Ford referred to the GT90 as a test car for technology or design that Ford could use in the future. The development of this concept cost 3 million dollars and was in charge of a small group of engineers from the special division of Ford SVT. She developed a car within six months and presented it in Detroit in 1995 , which was several years ahead of its time with its design, engine and possible performance.
But let's start slowly – with design . The GT90 became the first ever Ford to carry traces of the New Edge design language , which later appeared on the successful Ka or Focus models of the first generation. The appearance itself combined several elements – we can find sharp edges, angles, flat surfaces or triangle motifs . The most prominent one appears in the rear part, where this shape is carried by the exhaust tip . Ford paid attention to the large glass area, which makes the GT90 seem very airy. At high speeds, the rear spoiler extends, which increases the downforce.
To get inside, just touch the yellow panel on the B-pillar . The doors do not open upwards, as is common with most super sports, but classically to the side. This allows for a much better entry than competing models. The interior is a combination of blue leather and suede upholstery, a carbon dashboard, blue lighting and brushed or polished aluminum elements. The rendering of alarm clocks can be considered very interesting from a design point of view, and even here the designers did not forget the triangle motif .
The engineering of the "superFord" was largely assembled from other cars. The basis is an aluminum monocoque , around which a carbon fiber bodywork is built. It is very compact – it is 4470 mm long, 1140 mm high and 1963 mm wide. Thanks to carbon fibers, it was also possible to keep the weight within reasonable limits – 1451 kg is certainly a solid value. The double wishbone suspension front and rear was taken directly from the super sports Jaguar XJ220.
However, the real gem is hidden under the hood. The mid-mounted twelve-cylinder with 48 valves is doped with four Garrett T2 turbochargers and has a total output of 730 horsepower! The origin of the engine is certainly interesting – the engineers took two Lincoln eight-cylinders, removed the front pair of cylinders from one engine and the rear pair of cylinders from the other engine, welded the remains of the two units together and that was it. The bore of the newly created engine is 90.2 mm, the stroke then 77.3 mm.
But back to the performances. As I said, the maximum power of the GT90 is 730 hp at 6600 rpm, the maximum torque is 894 Nm at 4750 rpm. Ford claims acceleration from 0 to 60 m/h (96 km/h) in 3.1 seconds and to 100 m/h (161 km/h) in 6.2 seconds. The popular 1/4 mile is covered by the GT90 in 10.9 seconds. The biggest problem, however, is finding the maximum speed, as one source claims "only" 378 km/h, the other even 407 km/h, which would make the GT90 the fastest car in the world for a very long time. I still owe you information about the gearbox and the driven axle. So – the transmission of power to the REAR wheels is handled by the FFD-Ricardo five-speed manual , which has its origins in the Jaguar XJ220.
And how to end the article about quite possibly the best and fastest Ford in history ? Perhaps only by saying that it is a shame that there is only one and only one manufactured piece left. All enthusiasts or even potential customers can drive the GT90 only in computer games , because this car has become the decoration of more than one game. For example, Ford Racing 2 and 3, Gran Turismo 2, Need for Speed II or Sega GT 2002. If you don't have any of the games at home, quickly go find them and try GT90. Even if it's only virtual, it's still an experience…
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Source: wikipedia.org, supercars.net
