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How to Order a 2017 Ford GT Supercar

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Ford GT ordering has begun and we’ll tell you how to snag one of these beauties!

2017 Ford GT Supercar.
The Ford GT Configurator allows customers to create some very “interesting” designs.

Ford’s all-new GT super car is ready for ordering. To that end, the automaker has established a dedicated website at FordGT.com to process applications, with only 500 units available for the first two years of production. The initial GTs will be delivered late 2016, a model priced in the mid-$400,000 range.

Here’s how to build a Ford GT:

1. Visit FordGT.com — A http://www.FordGT.com url has been dedicated to allow anyone to configure a GT. However, that address forwards to a secure page on the main Ford website at Ford.com.

2. Scroll down the age — Before you can configure a car — Ford allows anyone to do this, not just prospective buyers — you’ll need to scroll down the page first. Just below the navigation bar is a sliding carousel of Ford GT photos. After you finish gawking, you’ll find explainer information about the car. Keep scrolling until you find the Configurator.

3. Click configurator — Click on the blue configurator bar to begin building your GT. Along the left side of the page are a series of icons representing exteriors, wheels, interiors, and series. Go through each one in successive order until you have finished personalizing your super car.

4. Choose your exteriors — Ford allows GT shoppers to choose from eight colors, eight stripes, and three front, rear, and side lower finishes. Find the combination that suits you by checking the appropriate box.

5. Select your wheels — Press the “wheels” icon to choose from three sets of one-piece forged aluminum wheels. Next, select either matte finish or gloss finish before choosing one of five brake caliper cover colors — black, silver, blue, red, and orange.

6. Complete the interior — With the exterior and wheels behind you, you’re ready to choose from one of four interior designs — dark energy, launch control, light speed, and re-entry. Your choice affects the color of the seats, head restraints, door sills, air register pods, the center console, and other features.

7. Choose your series — The last section to choose here is “series,” but I have no idea what that is. Nor can you choose between the two offered as both are currently labeled “coming soon.”

8. Submit your application — You need to return to the main page and scroll all the way down to find the application. Before you begin, create an online Ford account. Complete the application, hit submit and it will be sent to Ford for review. If, and only if your application is approved, you’ll then be contacted by Ford. At this point you will work with the new Ford GT Concierge Service for a “personalized purchase experience.”

Ford GT Considerations

The first wave of Ford GT owners have until May 12, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, to get their web-based applications in. Additional ordering opportunities may follow, but considering that only 250 copies of Ford’s most exclusive model ever produced will go to global customers for the 2017 and 2018 model years, demand may quickly outstrip supply.

Prospective customers can also request updates by postal mail or e-mail, provided they supply their names and contact information. You’ll also be asked to stipulate when you will acquire your next vehicle.

Ford GT Specifications

The aerodynamically-enhanced Ford GT is just one of 12 new vehicles arriving from Ford Performance by 2020. Other models coming include the all-wheel drive Focus RS, the F-150 Raptor, and a pair of Shelby Mustangs.

The rear-wheel drive Ford GT features a mid-mounted, twin-turbo 3.5-liter, V-6 engine producing more than 600 horsepower. Paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, no manual gearbox will be offered.

The GT is a lightweight hyper car and is best compared with the Lamborghini Aventador. Ford says the GT has aluminum front and rear subframes with carbon fiber body panels, with the automaker claiming the best power-to-weight ratios of any production car.

See  Also — Multimatic to the Build the Ford GT

Highlights of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show: Media Day 1, Part 2

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Ford GT Supercar

Ford serves up a sketch of the next generation Ford GT supercar.

If it is eye candy you want, the North American International Auto Show serves it up in spades. This morning, the Ford GT was unveiled, representing perhaps the most noteworthy vehicle from the new Ford Performance division we will see over the next few years.

Ford GT Supercar

The all-new Ford GT goes into production in 2016 and will join other blue oval performers, including the Focus RS, F-150 Raptor and a pair of Shelby GT350 models. It is just one of at least 12 new models that Ford Performance plans to reveal through 2020, over-the-top models that will crown the Ford brand.

The Ford GT supercar utilizes advanced lightweighting, especially evident in its carbon fiber construction. The rakishly aerodynamic sportscar will be powered by a twin turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 engine with an output of at least 600 horsepower.

The rear-wheel drive GT features a mid-mounted engine, a two-door coupe body shell, and aluminum front and rear subframes. Its lighter overall package is enhanced by its carbon fiber wrap.

Ford says that the GT will feature a state-of-the-art, port/direct dual fuel-injection arrangement to boost engine response, in addition to a low-friction roller-finger-follower valvetrain. Ford will pair the twin-turbocharged V6 with a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle for expeditious gear changes and unprecedented driver control.

Ford GT Supercar.

The upcoming Ford GT supercar.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Another Ford product also received much attention at the NAIAS. Ford unveiled the F-150 SVT Raptor, its performance pickup truck. The new truck, slated to arrive in Fall 2016, will have a high-strength steel frame and light weight aluminum body, trimming some 500 pounds off of the current edition.

The 2017 SVT Raptor will receive a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine, tuned to surpass the 411-horsepower that the current 6.2-liter V-8 engine delivers. Ford will pair this potent engine with its all-new 10-speed automatic transmission. The four-wheel drive system in this beast will offer a multi-setting terrain management system to include normal, street, weather, mud and sand modes. Moreover, it will offer Baja and rock modes. The Raptor’s new transfer case has been designed for both full-time off-roading and features a locking unit for crawling.

Enthusiasts will likely be enraptured by the next generation Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

Enthusiasts will likely be enraptured by the next generation Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

Next Generation Acura NSX

Another super car that has been receiving an appropriate amount of buzz is the 2016 Acura NSX. This model is a mid-engine sport hybrid, powered by a twin turbocharged V-6 engine paired with a 9-speed dual clutch transmission. The new model will feature three electric motors — two up front and one to the rear.

The Acura NSX is enhanced by a Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All Wheel Drive (Sport Hybrid SH-AWD) system, what provides articulate response time for steering, braking and throttle. Moreover, it will enhance vehicle stability, control and launch performance of all-wheel drive. The NSX’s Agile Handling Assist (AHA) makes use of brake torque to further enhance yaw response and dynamic stability control.

Notably, the NSX will be built solely at the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, with approximately 100 highly-skilled workers tasked with conducting full body construction, paint, and final assembly.

2016 Acura NSX.

2016 Acura NSX.

Next Generation Toyota Tacoma

Another significant unveiling in Detroit today was for the 2016 Toyota Tacoma. That pickup truck is new from the ground up as well as inside and out. It will come to the market just as GM fights for position with a pair of new models of its own. The Nissan Frontier is another segment competitor.

In the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, enthusiasts will see a new powertrain and enhanced suspension tuning. Its Michigan engineers made numerous changes to include the addition of high strength steel to the frame and ultra-high strength steel to the body shell, providing a more rigid body as well as an important weight-saving measure.

The base motor is a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine; an all-new, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that runs on the efficient Atkinson cycle will also be available. The new engine will feature both direct and port fuel injection. Both engines are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Moreover, a six-speed manual transmission will be available with the larger engine.

The Tacoma’s exterior look provides for a pleasing, evolutionary update, one that features a striking upper grille along with a taller, more brawny hood. Front projector beam headlamps can be paired with available daytime running lights.

The new model also features a locking tailgate and an integrated spoiler to improve vehicle aerodynamics. The tailgate also comes with an easy lowering feature for a slow retraction. For the very first time, the Tacoma will also offer a tri-fold hard tonneau cover.

2016 Toyota Tacoma

2016 Toyota Tacoma.

Upgraded Interior, Improved Extras

Inside, the cabin features several upgrades to help convey a more premium atmosphere. This model receives soft-wrap trim and metallic accents. Premium upgrades bring in a smart key with push button start, leather-trimmed seats, Qi wireless charging, a power moonroof, dual-zone climate control, an embellished touchscreen audio, a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert and other enhancements.

Five vehicle grades will be offered: SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road and Limited. Both TRD grades were developed by Toyota Racing Development, the same performance arm that is behind Toyota’s motorsport endeavors.

The TRD Off-Road edition features a multi-terrain system, what permits the driver to select different modes to handle a variety of terrain to include sand, mud or loose rock. Wheel spin is accordingly regulated, adjusting throttle and brake pressure to enhance terrain traction.

2016 Toyota Tacoma

The interior of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma.

Related 2015 Detroit Auto Show Articles

Highlights of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show: Media Day 2, Part 2

Highlights of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show: Media Day 2, Part 1

Highlights of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show: Media Day 1, Part 1

Celebrating 50 Years of McLaren

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This year, McLaren celebrates its 50th anniversary. Having started out as a simple racing team for its founder Bruce McLaren to further his championship winning aspiration, it is now a multi-billion dollar group with over 5,000 employees focusing on road car production, electronics, marketing, corporate hospitality, and animation alongside its original motor racing activities.

But how has McLaren succeed where so many others have failed?

In the Beginning…

Bruce McLaren
Bruce McLaren 1966
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
New Zealander Bruce McLaren was a highly-rated motor racing driver in the early 1960s. However he had aspirations different from his Cooper team and when they refused to build a 2.5-liter car for the Tasman Series, he simply decided to set up his own team in 1963.

From modest beginnings, the team gradually built up its competitiveness in sports cars to the point where McLaren was willing to leave Cooper and race for his own team in Formula 1.

They made their F1 debut at Monaco in 1966. The first two seasons were compromised by poor reliability and uncompetitive engines, meaning that it wasn’t until 1968 that McLaren scored his team’s first championship victory in Belgium after a switch to the Ford DFV engine.

The team’s race winning form continued into 1969 and after a promising start to the 1970 season, things took a turn for the worst when Bruce McLaren was killed testing the team’s new Can-Am car at Goodwood.

The Mayer Years

This would have meant the end of the road for most racing teams, but Bruce McLaren’s good friend, Teddy Mayer, took over the reins of the team. Mayer gradually built the team back up and they returned to their winning ways in 1972 with Peter Revson.

McLaren had proven their ability to win races, but its overall championship success had eluded them. However this all changed in 1974 when the team stole 1972 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi from Lotus to race the Gordon Coppuck designed M23. It was a car which would revolutionize the team’s fortunes, with them winning the championship again with the same chassis in 1976; this time with James Hunt behind the wheel.

It was Hunt who really helped to bring McLaren to people’s attention. The Englishman’s outlandish behavior and popularity with the general public made McLaren a household name.

See Also — Spotlight: 23rd Annual Triangle British Classic Car Show

The Dennis Steamroller

After the success of the mid 1970s, McLaren then went into decline with points finishes becoming increasingly less frequent and title sponsor Marlboro pressuring Mayer for improved performances if their association was to continue. This led to McLaren merging with Ron Dennis’s Project Four Formula 2 team.

Under the technical lead of John Barnard, the new alliance set about designing the sport’s first carbon-fiber chassis which brought substantial weight savings. It was the first in a line of technical innovations that Dennis’s McLaren squad would bring to the sport.

With the right technical team in place, Dennis turned his attention to the team’s drivers and engine supplier. He managed to convince the retired Double World Champion Niki Lauda to return to the sport and sourced a Porsche engine supply. All the pieces finally came together in 1984, with Lauda and Alain Prost sweeping all before them to claim the team’s first championship win in eight years. It would be Lauda’s third and final championship victory, but Prost then established himself as the sports lead driver winning back to back championships in 1985 and 1986.

McLaren F1 XP-LM
McLaren F1 XP-LM photographed at the 2006 British International Motorshow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Things changed in 1987 when Honda engines became the vital ingredient to success. But Dennis lost no time in stealing the Honda engine supply from rivals Williams in time for 1988 and bringing in Ayrton Senna from Lotus to partner Prost. It resulted in levels of domination that the sport has never witnessed before, with Prost and Senna winning 15 out of the 16 races in 1988; the first of four successive drives and constructor’s championship successes for the team.

The McLaren F1

Another vital ingredient in McLaren’s domination over this period was designer Gordon Murray. He agreed to join McLaren from Brabham on the understanding that it would be his final Formula 1 project. His next ambition was to build the world’s fastest road legal car.

Luckily for Murray, Dennis had the same ambition as he wanted to emulate the strategy of Ferrari and Lotus in establishing a road car company on the back of motorsport success. With the money and resources of McLaren behind him, Murray created the ‘McLaren F1’; a road car which is still considered by many to be the greatest road legal sports car of all time. Its performance was such that McLaren was able to take an overall class victory at Le Mans with the model, despite limited modifications.

The extreme design resulted in an extreme price tag, but the fact that only 106 were ever produced means that it has only gone up in value over the years. This was proved when Mr. Bean star Rowan Atkinson crashed and wrote off his McLaren F1 a couple of years ago and made the most expensive car insurance claim of all time with the vehicle being value at over $1 million.

McLaren Automotive

The financial and critical success of the McLaren F1 increased the pressure for the follow up model. It took McLaren almost 20 years to create one, with the MP4-12C expected to be the first in a fleet of McLaren sports cars to hit the market. Dennis handed over control of the F1 team to Martin Whitmarsh in 2009 so that he could focus on fully establishing McLaren Automotive and make this vision a reality.

McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren MP4-12C (Photo credit: Wikipedia).
This still seems to be on track, with McLaren following the MP4-12C up with the P1 which debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. The P1 is a remarkably ambitious project, being the company’s first attempt at a plug-in hybrid. Its 3.8-liter engine and hybrid pack produce a combined 963 horsepower. Despite this, the hybrid technology should mean that it is still capable of 25 mpg.

McLaren’s focus on environmental technology means that it recently became the first motor sport organization in the world to win the FIA’s Environmental Award. This, along with its recent Motorsport reunion with Honda, means that the company is well set to begin its next half century.

See Also — 50 Years of the Porsche 911

Acura NSX Supercar: Made In Ohio

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Acura NSX
Acura NSX supercar to debut in 2015.

The highly anticipated Acura NSX supercar has a new home. This week, Honda of America announced that it plans to convert a former seat plant adjacent to its Marysville Auto Plant into a Performance Manufacturing Center to build the resurrected Acura NSX coupe. Honda will make a $70 million investment and tap 100 highly skilled manufacturing associates from its existing operation to construct its halo model.

2016 Acura NSX

The original Acura NSX was marketed from 1991 to 2005 with just hundreds of models built annually. A prototype of the future model was displayed at the 2012 Detroit auto show, a mid-engine model outfitted with a V-6 engine and a dual-clutch transmission. It is a hybrid model too, demonstrating Honda’s commitment to combine performance with fuel efficiency.

Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center represents its third auto plant in Ohio. Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio, will supply the NSX’s powertrain.

Executive Appointments Announced

Besides identifying its plant location, Honda announced that Honda R&D Americas chief engineer Ted Klaus is leading the global team developing the new NSX. In addition, Clement D’ Souza, associate chief engineer at Honda of America, will lead the team that will bring the Acura NSX to production beginning in 2015.

“We have a very clear understanding of the high customer expectations luxury buyers around the world have for a supercar, and our challenge is to exceed them and create new value for the customer,” said Klaus. “This new Performance Manufacturing Center will be key to this challenge.”

Honda will likely move quickly to identify the workers that will build the Acura NSX. Once the team has been assembled it will begin training and the manufacturing processes will be put in place. The Ohio manufacturing plant will be the exclusive builder of the all-new Acura NSX, a model that will be exported worldwide.

Luxury Segment Strength

Committing to building the supercar will enhance Acura’s image in the United States and abroad. Acura represents one of the better selling luxury brands in America, beating out Cadillac while finishing behind BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. For 2012, Honda reported 156,216 Acura models sold.

When the Acura NSX arrives on the market, it will join seven other Acura models ranging from the RLX flagship sedan to its ZDX four-door sports coupe. The balance of the Acura line up is composed mostly of sedans and crossovers with the TSX sold both in sedan and wagon body styles.

See Also — Acura Mulls a Full All-Wheel Drive Strategy

Acura NSX prototype model courtesy of Honda of America.