The Ford GT90 is a high performance concept car that was developed and manufactured by American car maker Ford. It was unveiled in January 1995 at the Detroit Auto Show as "the world's mightiest supercar". Performance included a top speed 253 mph (407 km/h)[1][2] completing a quarter mile at 140 mph (225 km/h) from a 720 hp (537 kW;730 PS) quad-turbocharged V12 engine DOHC, the exhaust of which was claimed to be hot enough to damage the body panels, requiring ceramic tiles similar to those on the Space Shuttle to keep the car from melting.
The mid-engined car is a spiritual successor to the Ford GT40, taking from it some styling cues, such as doors that cut into the roofline, but little else. In regard to angles and glass, the Ford GT90 was the first Ford to display the company's "New Edge" design philosophy. The GT90 was built around a honeycomb-section aluminum monocoque and its body panels were molded from carbon fiber.
The GT90 was built as a secret project by a small engineering team in just over six months. It shared components from another high profile stablemate—the Jaguar XJ220, as Jaguar was also owned by Ford at the time. The engine was a 90-degree, forced induction i.e. quad-turbo V-12, unique to the GT90.[3]
The GT90's 48-valve V12 has a six-litre engine capacity and produces up to 720 hp (537 kW). It is equipped with a forced induction system i.e. four Garrett AiResearch T2 turbochargers. The engine architecture was based on the 90-degree Ford Modular engine family utilizing a layout similar to that of a paired set of 4.6l V8 engines of which each had 2 cylinders removed. This yielded a 90-degree V12, with 90.2 mm bore and 77.3 mm stroke with the cylinders arranged in two banks in a single casting.[4]
Jacques Nasser, then a Ford executive and eventually CEO, was very proud of the car, and kept a model of it on his desk, as seen in a documentary on the U.K. television network Channel 4 on the Firestone tire incidents.[citation needed]
It also appeared in the video games Need for Speed II, Sega GT 2002, Ford Racing 2, Ford Racing 3, Gran Turismo 2, Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA, TOCA Race Driver 2, TOCA Race Driver 3, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Ford Street Racing. The car was featured in original Top Gear in a 1995 issue, while the car was still planned to enter production.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Third, it just looks breathtaking. A couple years ago Autoblog wrote that if the GT90 were to show up at a modern Detroit Auto Show, it would still be considered "one of the coolest cars on the show floor." I think they're right.
But there are plenty of concepts with a great heritage, a ton of power and incredible looks. Why does the GT90 remain so special? Let's see if we can find out.
What was it? A two-seat, mid-engine supercar concept that debut at the 1995 Detroit Auto Show. The car was a one-off that cost $3 million and six months to build.
What were the specs? The pièce de résistance was the 6.0-liter V12 with four turbochargers which sent a stunning 720 horsepower and 660 pound feet of torque to the rear wheels. It was created by mixing parts from two Modular V8 engines and strapping on some Garrett Systems T2 turbochargers. (Apparently, the test mule for this engine was a Lincoln Town Car, which is just about the greatest thing I have ever heard.)
At the time of its debut, the GT90 was considered the most powerful car in the world. Zero to 60 mph came in about three seconds, and 100 mph came in 6.2 seconds. The top speed was said to be 230 mph.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Many of its components, including the chassis and suspension, were lifted off the Jaguar XJ220, another much beloved supercar which at the time was produced when Ford was that company's owner. The five-speed manual (perhaps the only aspect of this car that is a bit dated) also came from the XJ220. Weight was kept a smidge under 3,200 pounds by using carbon fiber body panels.
Holy Crap It's A Flaming Joyride In A Jaguar XJ220
What else made it special? In the GT90's case, a lot of things. First, the name — it was deliberately planned as a modern-day successor to the GT40, although the intent here was never to win at racing. But with a similar shape, mid-engine architecture and high performance spirit, it was envisioned as a modern interpretation of that legendary car.
There was also the fact that the GT90 debuted the New Edge design language that Ford used on many of its cars through the 1990s and 2000s, like the Focus, Ka, Cougar, and Puma. The GT90 sports a design that is somehow both futuristic and timeless; 10 or 20 years from now, I wouldn't be surprised if it still looked decades ahead of the curve.
What did it look like on the inside? Blue. Like, really goddamn blue. It looks purple in most photos, but people who have been in it say it was more of a deep Ford Blue Oval shade of blue.
A driver got inside by pressing a yellow panel on the side of the car, which opened the door. The inside was surprisingly spacious thanks to its airy greenhouse, and also because the gear lever and its exposed linkage were suspended between two slim tubes running from the rear bulkhead and the dash. Reviewers at the time said it wasn't nearly as cramped as cars like the Lamborghini Diablo.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Did it actually run? You better believe it ran, although as a concept, it wasn't quite as 100 percent as a production car would have been. Journalists like Top Gear's Jeremy "Young Jezza" Clarkson and Motor Trend's John McCormick were among the lucky few who got to take it for a spin. The latter drove one when it was detuned to "only" 400 horsepower — engineers feared taking a concept car to full blast — and he found it to be quite fast, responsive in corners, and endowed with tremendous stopping power.
As for Clarkson, well, he described it as proof that "heaven really is a place on earth." The 90s, you guys. Different time.
Was it ever planned for production? It doesn't seem that way. Motor Trend's December 1995 story says that production — and possibly Le Mans duty like its famous predecessor — was strongly suggested when the car debuted. But by the end of that year Ford admitted it was never meant to go beyond the concept phase, and it's unlikely Ford management ever seriously considered making a high-end supercar.
The GT90's engineers learned a lot from the project, however. They moved on to another V12 program that, in hindsight, is probably what ended up in several Aston Martin cars.
The mid-engined car is a spiritual successor to the Ford GT40, taking from it some styling cues, such as doors that cut into the roofline, but little else. In regard to angles and glass, the Ford GT90 was the first Ford to display the company's "New Edge" design philosophy. The GT90 was built around a honeycomb-section aluminum monocoque and its body panels were molded from carbon fiber.
The GT90 was built as a secret project by a small engineering team in just over six months. It shared components from another high profile stablemate—the Jaguar XJ220, as Jaguar was also owned by Ford at the time. The engine was a 90-degree, forced induction i.e. quad-turbo V-12, unique to the GT90.[3]
The GT90's 48-valve V12 has a six-litre engine capacity and produces up to 720 hp (537 kW). It is equipped with a forced induction system i.e. four Garrett AiResearch T2 turbochargers. The engine architecture was based on the 90-degree Ford Modular engine family utilizing a layout similar to that of a paired set of 4.6l V8 engines of which each had 2 cylinders removed. This yielded a 90-degree V12, with 90.2 mm bore and 77.3 mm stroke with the cylinders arranged in two banks in a single casting.[4]
Jacques Nasser, then a Ford executive and eventually CEO, was very proud of the car, and kept a model of it on his desk, as seen in a documentary on the U.K. television network Channel 4 on the Firestone tire incidents.[citation needed]
It also appeared in the video games Need for Speed II, Sega GT 2002, Ford Racing 2, Ford Racing 3, Gran Turismo 2, Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA, TOCA Race Driver 2, TOCA Race Driver 3, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Ford Street Racing. The car was featured in original Top Gear in a 1995 issue, while the car was still planned to enter production.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Third, it just looks breathtaking. A couple years ago Autoblog wrote that if the GT90 were to show up at a modern Detroit Auto Show, it would still be considered "one of the coolest cars on the show floor." I think they're right.
But there are plenty of concepts with a great heritage, a ton of power and incredible looks. Why does the GT90 remain so special? Let's see if we can find out.
What was it? A two-seat, mid-engine supercar concept that debut at the 1995 Detroit Auto Show. The car was a one-off that cost $3 million and six months to build.
What were the specs? The pièce de résistance was the 6.0-liter V12 with four turbochargers which sent a stunning 720 horsepower and 660 pound feet of torque to the rear wheels. It was created by mixing parts from two Modular V8 engines and strapping on some Garrett Systems T2 turbochargers. (Apparently, the test mule for this engine was a Lincoln Town Car, which is just about the greatest thing I have ever heard.)
At the time of its debut, the GT90 was considered the most powerful car in the world. Zero to 60 mph came in about three seconds, and 100 mph came in 6.2 seconds. The top speed was said to be 230 mph.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Many of its components, including the chassis and suspension, were lifted off the Jaguar XJ220, another much beloved supercar which at the time was produced when Ford was that company's owner. The five-speed manual (perhaps the only aspect of this car that is a bit dated) also came from the XJ220. Weight was kept a smidge under 3,200 pounds by using carbon fiber body panels.
Holy Crap It's A Flaming Joyride In A Jaguar XJ220
What else made it special? In the GT90's case, a lot of things. First, the name — it was deliberately planned as a modern-day successor to the GT40, although the intent here was never to win at racing. But with a similar shape, mid-engine architecture and high performance spirit, it was envisioned as a modern interpretation of that legendary car.
There was also the fact that the GT90 debuted the New Edge design language that Ford used on many of its cars through the 1990s and 2000s, like the Focus, Ka, Cougar, and Puma. The GT90 sports a design that is somehow both futuristic and timeless; 10 or 20 years from now, I wouldn't be surprised if it still looked decades ahead of the curve.
What did it look like on the inside? Blue. Like, really goddamn blue. It looks purple in most photos, but people who have been in it say it was more of a deep Ford Blue Oval shade of blue.
A driver got inside by pressing a yellow panel on the side of the car, which opened the door. The inside was surprisingly spacious thanks to its airy greenhouse, and also because the gear lever and its exposed linkage were suspended between two slim tubes running from the rear bulkhead and the dash. Reviewers at the time said it wasn't nearly as cramped as cars like the Lamborghini Diablo.
The Ford GT90 May Have Been The Greatest Concept Car Ever
Did it actually run? You better believe it ran, although as a concept, it wasn't quite as 100 percent as a production car would have been. Journalists like Top Gear's Jeremy "Young Jezza" Clarkson and Motor Trend's John McCormick were among the lucky few who got to take it for a spin. The latter drove one when it was detuned to "only" 400 horsepower — engineers feared taking a concept car to full blast — and he found it to be quite fast, responsive in corners, and endowed with tremendous stopping power.
As for Clarkson, well, he described it as proof that "heaven really is a place on earth." The 90s, you guys. Different time.
Was it ever planned for production? It doesn't seem that way. Motor Trend's December 1995 story says that production — and possibly Le Mans duty like its famous predecessor — was strongly suggested when the car debuted. But by the end of that year Ford admitted it was never meant to go beyond the concept phase, and it's unlikely Ford management ever seriously considered making a high-end supercar.
The GT90's engineers learned a lot from the project, however. They moved on to another V12 program that, in hindsight, is probably what ended up in several Aston Martin cars.
Nice ford car
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