The Ford GT race car will make its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a little over a week, but before the actual racer returns to the scene of its famous 1-2-3 victory in 1966, gamers of Forza Motorsports 6 will be able to get their hands on the GT’s virtual counterpart. Beginning today, June 7, codes will be sent to gamers who play Forza 6. The codes are free of any charge and can be retrieved on the Xbox Live message inboxes.
The free addition of the GT race car into Forza 6 is the latest in what has been a processional line of hype-generating ideas Ford has concocted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic race car’s historic win at Le Mans. The magnitude of Ford’s dominant showing in Le Mans back in 1966 was felt far and wide in the motor racing world. It also kicked off a dominant run for Ford as it proceeded to win the next three installments of the race, rounding out the late '60s with four-straight victories in Le Mans. Ford has yet to win the endurance race since its dominant stretch back then, but with the new Ford GT making it’s comeback, there are a lot of expectations on the teams racing with the new Ford GT to at least make a good showing in next weekend’s race. A total of four Ford GTs will compete in the GTE Pro class, all being run by the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team.
As for the virtual GTs, well, anybody who plays Forza 6 can get their hands on the race car once they get the codes to download them. Again, the codes come free of charge, although it’s unclear how long the codes will be eligible. Don’t wait for that time to come so when you receive the codes, input them immediately so you can immediately play with the new GT race car.
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Why it matters
Some people might think that Ford’s making too big of a deal by endlessly touting its 1-2-3 finish in the 1966 Le Mans race, but the reality is that it is a big deal. It’s a really, really big deal. Before that victory, a U.S. automaker had never won at Le Mans. After Ford’s four-peat, no American automaker has won since. Those four years that Ford dominated are the only years that an American automaker has won arguably the most famous race of any kind in the world. So yes, the return of Ford and the Ford GT is a big deal.
That even extends to the world of Forza 6. You only need to look at the cover to see why it’s important. Yep, that’s the Ford GT road car. It’s only fitting that with the GT road car being the cover car of the game, the racing version would soon follow. I’ll actually give props to Ford and Turn 10 Studios for timing the release of the GT race car perfectly with a little over a week before one of the most highly anticipated installments of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the very least, gamers will have the chance to play with the race car and see what it’s all about before watching the real things try to make history next weekend.
And for those who need a little refresher, the Ford GT race car is based on the GT supercar. It features a lightweight carbon fiber construction with state-of-the-art aerodynamics befitting its status as a bonafide racer. It also packs a 3.5-liter, EcoBoost V-6 engine that is expected to generate in excess of 500 horsepower, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under three seconds to go with a top speed of over 200 mph.
Personally, I can't wait to see the Ford GT race car in action at Le Mans. I've been waiting for this since Ford announced its return in the series and now that we're a little over a week from the actual race, the excitement is already there. In the meantime, let me just input these codes...
2016 Ford GT Le Mans
Read our full review on the 2016 Ford GT Le Mans here.