It has been teased, speculated and rumored, but Autoweek has come out and is claiming that a new supercar from the Blue Oval is confirmed. There will be a successor to the Ford GT->ke411, it will debut in a few weeks at Detroit, and it will be used to tackle a whole series of endurance races including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.->ke1591

With Ford’s 50th anniversary of its first overall win at Le Mans with the Ford GT40 happening in 2016, it only makes sense.

Now Autoweek isn’t saying much, but it is claiming that a reliable inside source has confirmed that there will be a new GT street car and racer. While there is very little info given on the street car -- the source couldn’t even confirm if it would be called the GT or not -- there is a whole pile of juicy info about the upcoming racing program.

Let's start with the big stuff. There will be two factory-backed cars competing starting in 2016, and they will be campaigned by Chip Ganassi Racing->ke660 of NASCAR,->ke3635 Tudor Series and IndyCar->ke1559 fame. Ford’s long-time racing partner Multimatic Motorsports in the great white North of Canada will build the race version. According to the report, the cars will be piloted by an all-star team of veteran racing drivers that includes Scott Pruett and Joey Hand.

Despite all of the evidence for the racing car, the Autoweek source goes on to say that when the road car is revealed by Ford->ke31 in a few weeks that there will likely be no confirmation or announcement of the racing program.

When it comes to the road car, Autoweek says, the new design will be dynamic and interesting, but it won’t really be retro in the same way the last Ford GT was. It also gave no information on engine options, but we already speculated that the new GT would likely use a turned-up version of Ford’s new flat-crank V-8 found in the 2016 Shelby GT350.

One thing is for certain, with Ford’s Detroit Press Conference->ke222 scheduled for Monday, January 12, we don’t have long to wait to see if this is all correct. It seems that Autoweek’s 2014 Performance Car of the Year may soon have some competition.

Autoweek

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Ford is on the cusp of a major resurgence in the world marketplace. It has combined its North American-based Special Vehicles Team (SVT), Europe’s Team RS division and the Ford Racing group together under the Ford Performance banner, and a new GT would serve as great base for marketing that new brand. With the latest Mustang hitting the world stage, Ford could also use the power of a new halo car to drum up interest and excitement. If nothing else, this program proves that Ford is ready to do what it takes to be a true world competitor again, and it is ready and willing to take the fight to the big boys in the automotive world to prove itself.

The 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the entire Tudor United SportsCar Championship season just got a whole lot more interesting.

Continue reading to find out more about the new Ford GT successor. 0}

Ford is building a new supercar to succeed its incredible Ford GT from a decade ago, and it will be arriving soon. There is very little information on this new supercar, but there is a lot we can infer from previous information and current Ford products.

Firstly, we know the car will most likely be a mid-engined coupe with seating for two. It should employ a new chassis that is aluminum-intensive to cut on weight, and the body will likely be comprised of lots of carbon, aluminum and other lightweight materials to keep the curb weight in check. The most likely engine will be a modified version of the new 5.2-liter, flat-plane crank V-8 found in the Shelby GT350 Mustang. Ford will most likely slap a supercharger on top for extra power, and the horsepower rating should be in the 625-plus range to compete against the new Corvette Z06. Expect prices to be in the $125,000 and up ballpark.