Track-only Ford GT Mk II aims for the pinnacle of Ford Performance

Since the original Ford GT40 ended decades of Ferrari dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans road race in 1966, the Ford GT has been an icon of speed. That reputation was only enhanced in recent years with the introduction of the limited edition Ford GT supercar.

Now, Ford and partner Multimatic have upped the ante again with the Ford GT Mk II. Billed as the ultimate expression of Ford Performance, without the artificial restrictions placed on race-built Ford GT models by race series rules, the track-only limited edition Ford GT Mk II is sure to go down as another instant classic by Ford.

“The GT Mk II unleashes the full performance potential of the Ford GT without any artificial performance limitations dictated by racing sanctioning bodies,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product development and purchasing officer. “It’s the closest GT owners can get to the Le Mans-winning performance and exhilarating feeling of crossing the finish line in the Ford GT race car.”

Ford and Multimatic — the company that constructs the Ford GT by hand — have limited the production run of the Ford GT Mk II to just 45 units, each with a starting price of a whopping $1.2 million.

Upgrades include aerodynamic and downforce improvements that generate up to 400 percent more downforce than the standard GT. Along with weight savings and chassis upgrades, that allow the Ford GT Mk II to hug the skidpad at up to 2Gs. Under the hood is an enhanced version of Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 delivering 700 horsepower — 200 more than the highest-horsepower Ford GT race car is allowed to have because of race series rules — thanks to high-tech goodies like a spedial air-to-air outboard mounted charge air cooler with a water sprayer that automatically engages during high temperature conditions to supercool the air intake charge. A roof-mounted intake delivers cool air to the engine, clutch and transmission coolers, for sustained, high-speed duty without overheating.

Helping bring all those big ponies to a halt are high-tech carbon ceramic brakes, with 15.5-inch front discs and 14.1-inch discs in the rear, plus custom calipers by Brembo. Unique forged aluminum 19-inch wheels put the power down thanks to Michelin Pilot Sport GT tires.

“The true off-the-hook performance capability of the GT hasn’t yet been fully showcased,” said Multimatic’s Chief Technical Officer, Larry Holt. “The road car is obviously limited by the many global homologation requirements that it must comply with, and the race car suffers from the restriction of the dreaded Balance of Performance, resulting in it being 150 horsepower down to the road car. The Mk II answers the regularly asked question of how would the car perform with all the limitations lifted: the answer is spectacularly.”

While you might not have $1,2 million laying around to spend on a new Ford GT Mk II, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the Ford Performance fun! Stop in today at McLarty Daniel Ford of Bentonville and check out our full lineup of Ford performance cars, including the incredible Ford Mustang, today!

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