I test drive everything I can get my driving gloves on for this column, from muscle cars to “Soccer-Mom” vans, and from luxury sedans to econoboxes, but seldom do I get to drive a half-million-dollar Super Car. Generally, I make my review cars daily drivers, and use them for everyday life in addition to my cruises and track tests, and usually they are my ride for a week. Well, that changed for this review, as I got my hands on a 2020 Ford GT Super Car – a three-quarter-million-dollar vehicle – but the test was only for a few hours, so I didn’t pick up groceries or building supplies, and I didn’t take a four-hour cruise in it. Nevertheless, the 120 minutes I had in this week’s test car were certainly worth it.

The quick background on the Ford GT is that it shouldn’t be confused with the Mustang GT, and that the Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater super sports coupe that was launched in model-year 2005 as an homage to the legendary GT40 that won at Le Mans from 1966-1969. It couldn’t be called the GT40, as the “40” referenced 40-inches in height and the new version was taller; also, a British company, Safir Engineering, built continuation GT40 cars, owned the name and wanted $40 million for use of the name, so Ford went with GT. As for the height, I drove a GT40 and even at my 5-foot-9, the 40-inch-tall exterior is tough to squeeze into in the inside, admittedly, while wearing a helmet. Racers including A.J. Foyt had to remove the cushioned seats and pretty much sat on the floorboards to wedge into the GT40 during races, so the 2005 Ford GT was 44.3 inches high for better interior fit. After a two-year run, the Ford GT was on hiatus until Model-Year 2017 when its renaissance began as a two-door coupe, with more power, revised gullwing doors, more interior space, low downforce and aerodynamic efficiency, and a true look and feel of the historical GT line.

The GT40s put out 350hp, and first Ford GTs in 2005, delivered power output of 550 hp 500 lb-ft of torque. This year’s super car gains 13hp over last year and thunders out 660 hp and 550 lb-ft. With production set to conclude in 2022, Ford added a few new items for 2020, including, better cooling with gallery-cooled pistons and higher-energy ignition coils, airflow gains through new buttress air ducts designed to increase air flow by 50 percent while larger intercoolers keep charge air temperatures cooler, preserving peak power. Increased suspension damping enhances handling and body control, and Ford Performance added premium Akrapovič titanium exhaust as standard equipment.

Newly available Ford GT Liquid Carbon places an emphasis on GT’s lightweight sculpted carbon fiber body completely free of paint color. A special clearcoat punctuates each GT’s unique carbon fiber weave in this limited-edition appearance, $250,000 option. Ford has also updated the Gulf Racing Heritage Livery, which now uses a black pinstripe to divide the unique orange and blue color scheme, to invoke the look of the 1968-69 Le Mans-winning Ford GT40. For 2020 models, the number was changed from 2019’s 6 to 9 to reflect the second of the back-to-back winning GTs.

The teardrop shape of the Ford GT is the result of extensive work in the wind tunnel. At 187.5 inches long, 43.7 inches high and 78.9 inches wide on a 106.7-inch wheelbase, GT’s road hugging aerodynamics weigh in with a curbweight of 3354 lbs. Ground clearance has two settings: 4.7 inches at normal and 2.75 inches in low setting. The carbon fiber look is augmented by gullwing doors that taper towards vast vents feeding the mid-mounted engine. At each corner, forged lightweight carbon fiber 20-inch wheels complete the image. In the rear, a large wing can deploy above the twin exhaust outlets, with functional vents, diffuser round taillights and exhaust pipes shout, “look, what I’m driving.”

Inside, you get cozy seating for two with a snug 35.7 inches of headroom, 43.0 inches of legroom and 48.7 inches of shoulder room with 45.1 inches for your hips. The luxury racecar interior has all the upscale niceties, plus leather, environment controls, Driver Configurable 10.1-inch Color LCD Instrument Cluster, 6.5-inch Center LCD Touch-Screen with Swiping and Pinch-to-Zoom Capabilities, SYNC® 3 – Enhanced Voice Recognition Communications and Entertainment System, Voice-Activated Touch-Screen Navigation System, Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start, Rear View Camera and more.

Rear-wheel drive power and performance start with GT’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost® twin-turbo V-6 GTDI engine and 7-Speed, Dual Clutch Automated Manual Transmission with Sequential Shift Controls Paddles. The system is throaty and growls its 660hp and 550lb-ft of torque without hesitation and in racecar fashion. Gearshifts are seamless and handling is slotcar sticky. On the road, passing was completed before I could wave goodbye. On the track, my test GT scorched the asphalt in hand-timed runs of 3.1 seconds for a zero-to-60mph sprint, and blazed the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds -- the original GT40 was a 4.7-second dash and 13.3-second quarter-miler. The system is EPA rated at 11mpg/city, 18mpg/highway and 14mpg/combined. I averaged 14.4 mpg with tires smoking and highway sprints taking up most of the test time.

My GT test ride had no sticker, but the 2020 Ford GT starts at around $500,000, with the Liquid Carbon option added for an additional $250,000 premium; oh, and there is a gas-guzzler premium.

You can see the 2020 Ford GT and more than 3200 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Euro Ford vehicles – some vehicles more than 100 years old, some brand new and thousands in between – by visiting the largest all-Ford show in the world, this year’s Carlisle Ford Nationals at the Carlisle, PA Fairgrounds, July 31-August 2. From trucks to muscle cars, you can see them all. And there will be a special 15-year-anniversary display of the Ford GT, a 50-year celebration of Capri, and displays on Merkur, Thunderbird, Starliner, Euro Fords, Grabbers, Mustangs and more. You can also see Ford’s newest in the new vehicle walk-round and join in or watch the Ford Parade and Street Party in downtown Carlisle with some 400 vehicles on parade Saturday night, June 6.

> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>

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