The Ford GT is a super car that will be powered by a 600-horsepower engine.Tanya Moutzalias/The Associated Press
Ford has finally released the performance specs for the new Canadian-made GT – more than two years after first unveiling its supercar.
With 647 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque, the GT will hit a top speed of 347 km/h – making it the fastest production car Ford has ever built. Power is delivered from a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V-6 engine.
Ford put the new GT to the test against the McLaren 675LT and the Ferrari 458 Speciale at the longest track in Canada, Calabogie Motorsport Park, east of Ottawa.
"We tested and developed this powertrain through the Daytona Prototype race car that ran in IMSA for two seasons, last season racing with Ford GT," said Dave Pericak, global director of Ford performance, in a statement. "We are extremely pleased with how it performs, both on the track and on the road."
The GT lapped in 2:09.8, which was a second faster than the McLaren (2:10.8) and more than three seconds faster than the Ferrari (2:12.9), said Ford in a statement. The test was conducted in identical conditions with the same driver.
Related: Inside the little-known Ontario facility building the Ford GT
Related: First Ford GT rolls off the line
"The Ford GT is all about performance," said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice-president, in a statement. "We achieved considerable weight savings with the carbon fiber architecture. We then reinvested some of that savings into where it counts most – performance, specifically, the active dynamics. The result is an even faster car."
The GT weighs 1,382 kilograms and has a power-to-weight ratio in between the McLaren and Ferrari.
The price has yet to be announced, but is expected to cost about $450,000 (U.S.), making it more expensive than the Lamborghini Aventador S, McLaren 675LT and Ferrari 488. It is also about three times the price as the 2006 Ford GT. The Hennessey Venom GT is the world's fastest production car, topping out at 435 km/h, but it costs more than $1-million.
The Lamborghini Aventador S, which costs marginally less than the GT, is a hair faster with a top speed of 349 km/h. A number of the GT's competitors also make more horsepower – including the Aventador S, 675LT, Ferrari 488 GTB and Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
The new GT is being built at Multimatic's Markham, Ont., facility, and the first one rolled off the line last month. Ford plans to make 250 GTs a year for four years. Potential buyers had to fill out an application and, by May 2016, the first two years' worth of cars were sold.
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