Revealed as a sort of a swan song for the latest generation of the Ford GT family, the newest Ford GT Mk II track edition is the most extreme representation of the ethos created out of sheer necessity for speed. Revealed at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb where it won the Supercar Shootout class by running up the hill in 52.04 seconds, the Ford GT Mk II brings several specific track virtues unknown to its road-going brother.
This Ford GT does not adhere to any rule; it does not look to compete with any established competitors, but it will be faster than any of them. Developed in conjunction with Ford’s race partner Multimatic, the Ford GT Mk II Track Edition is probably the most extreme evolution of this very car we will ever see. This is what you need to know about it.
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II Was Developed In Conjunction With Multimatic and Is As Fast As Any GT3 Car
Multimatic Motorsport continued cooperation with Ford Performance in the development of the all-new, uncompromised track weapon known as the Ford GT Mk II. The company has been involved with Ford since its very beginning in 1992, but its latest results with the Ford GT - two wins and a 2nd place finish at Le Mans - represent its most significant achievements. In that regard, there aren’t better guys out there to create a track-focused version of the Ford GT.
A drywipe magnetic whiteboard somewhere in Multimatic headquarters featured several focus points engineers had to challenge and accomplish. Multimatic had to considerably cut the weight of the GT, increase the chassis stiffness, integrate an all-new aerodynamic package, and make the Ford GT faster, or at least as fast, as the most potent GT3 cars.
Multimatics’ Chief Technical Officer, Larry Holt, said to journalists that the new Ford GT Mk II “is as fast as any GT3 car.”
If you don’t have a clue what the GT3 class means, this Wikipedia blurb should help:
"The cars in GT3 are designed to have a weight between 1200kg and 1300kg (2645lbs and 2866lbs) with horsepower between 500hp and 600hp. All cars have a very similar power to weight ratio but achieved either by high power and high weight such as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG or low power and low weight such as the Porsche 911 GT3. GT3 cars also have traction control, ABS and built-in air jacks for quick pit stops."
The 2020 Ford GT MKII Does Not Adhere To Any Racing Regulations
You cannot race with it in any FIA approved competitions, but, if you happen to meet some FIA approved GT3 car on the track, be sure that you will be able to catch up with it, and probably beat it in the bends.
As Multimatic had its hands free, it created a whole new aerodynamic system that provides far more downforce - front and back. For example, that massive rear wing is by no means legal in any FIA approved competition. The same goes for the fender louver vents and that massive front splitter. Actually, Ford and Multimatic developed the front splitter for the racing prototype back in 2016, but it was illegal for the race-worthy car. Now, it is installed to limit the lift.
The other changes compared to the race version include really stiff suspension, slightly revised cooling system, and 200+ horsepower more from the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Remember, the race car that competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans actually carried ballast, had 495 horsepower, and a far less effective aerodynamic system. Multimatic forgot about all the restrictions and created the ultimate track toy with the GT Mk II
The Radicalism of the 2020 Ford GT Mk II Track Edition’s Aerodynamics
See that rear spoiler on the Ford GT Mk II?The diffuser, however, is the same as it is on the successful Le Mans racer. Adding that much downforce at the rear end without working to lower the front end lift at the front would make the Ford GT Mk II fly. I think that all of you who enjoy racing and cars remember how Mark Webber flew off the track with his Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR due to incredible front end lift. Well, Ford does not want you to re-experience that moment. In that regard, the fender louvers help lower the air pressure within the wheel wells. This tech is entirely illegal for approved racing applications, but the Ford GT Mk II does not care about that. It is estimated that the fender louvers only lower the front end lift by at least 100 pounds. Then, there’s the front splitter. It is a massive piece that adds up to 7 percent of downforce more compared to the unit installed on a racer.
All in all, the aerodynamic additions on the new Ford GT Mk II offer 1,800 to 1,900 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. That’s 350 pounds more compared to the racing car.
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II Track Edition Can Pull 2 Gs While Cornering
Pulling 2G in lateral acceleration in a bend is a tremendous effort. This puts the Ford GT Mk II in a class of its own. See, even the best hypercars of today can achieve up to 1.7 Gs in lateral acceleration (like, apparently Koenigsegg One:1 who pulled that much at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps). Then, he added race-spec Michelin Pilot Sport GT tires, DSSV shocks (stiffer compared to the shocks on track-ready Ford GT), lightweight wheels, and springs with fixed spring rates. No adjustable suspension features here - it is all dialed to 11.
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II Track Edition Is 200 Pounds Lighter Compared To The Road-going Car
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II Track Edition comes without:
- Air conditioning (you can opt for a special "track" aircon tough)
- A Passenger seat (you can opt for an FIA approved Sparco passenger seat with a six-point racing harness)
- Basically all creature comforts (including decoration pieces)
- Steel brakes (it comes with carbon-ceramic discs)
- Standard steering wheel (it comes with a racing one instead)
- Infotainment system (it comes with a Motec data acquisition system)
- Adjustable ride height
- Several driving modes
Changes like this dramatically affected the weight of the machine. Motortrend reports that the new Ford GT Mk II tips the scales at 3,065 pounds - some 290 pounds less compared to the street-going car. Quite incredible, really.
The Track-Shredding 2020 Ford GT Mk II Has a Headlight Switch from the Ford F-150
As I was researching all I could about the new GT, I stumbled on this comment:
“But my favorite part of this car is the $20 light switch being shared from my F150 in this 1.2 mil supercar :)“
Parts sharing between cheaper car and track toys is nothing new, but I still find this fact somewhat cool.
If you find that Ford was cutting corners with things like this let me tell you that the Pagani Zonda has climate controls from the Rover 45, the Lotus Esprit shares rear lights with the Toyota Corolla, and the McLaren F1’s rear lights also sit on a bus.
The 2020 Ford GT MK II Has A Lot More Power
The 3.5-liter EcoBoost in a Ford GT Le Mans racer developed 495 horsepower. Nothing to write home about really.
With 700 horsepower at 6,350 rpm, the EcoBoost can provide far fiercer performance. Ford and Multimatic managed to increase the power by adding high-flow exhaust, straight exhaust pipes, a higher-spinning turbo, bigger air intakes (including that excellent rooftop intake), and water-spray system for better control of temperature. Linked with a unique Getrag eight-speed dual-clutch transmission instead of seven-speed Ricardo tranny, the Ford GT Mk II can achieve 10 to 15 seconds faster lap times compared to the road-going version.
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II has just 56 mm of Ground Clearance
With fixed suspension features and new two-stage dampers, the Ford GT Mk II sits even lower compared to the race-going GT or and the road-going GT. The Ford GT’s height tops at 43.7 inches (which is low). I believe that the Ford GT Mk II actually undercuts the Ford GT height by at least 2 inches. With that in mind, this Ford GT Mk II could be called Ford GT41.7
The 2020 Ford GT Mk II is Expensive and Exclusive
With production limited to 45 units (5 of which will saw the light of day this year) and a price of $1.2 million a pop, the Ford GT Mk II is as exclusive as it gets. The word on the street is that Ford is likely to approve you for the purchase if you already own current-gen Ford GT. Nevertheless, I am SURE all 45 planned units have already found their new owners.
Further reading
Read our full review on the 2018 Ford GT Le Mans.
Read our full review on the 2017 Ford GT.
Read our full review on the 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition
Read our full review on the 2019 Ford GT Carbon Edition.
Read our full review on the 1964 - 1969 Ford GT40.
Read our full review on the 2005 - 2006 Ford GT.