Ford GT90
The Ford GT90 is a concept car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was unveiled in January 1995 at the Detroit Auto Show as "the world's mightiest supercar". Performance included a top speed 235 mph (378 km/h) 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. All 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 moulded from carbon fiber.
The GT90 was built by a small team in just over six months and, as a result, borrowed many components from another high profile stablemate—the Jaguar XJ220. The all-round double wishbone suspension and the five-speed manual gearbox came from the Jaguar, while the engine was a 90-degree quad-turbo V-12.
The GT90's 48-valve V12 was a six-litre engine which, if Ford had ever produced it in volume, might have produced up to 720 hp (537 kW), thanks to four Garrett AiResearch T2 turbochargers. The engine was based on the 90-degree Ford Modular engine family. For this one-off showcar, the last two cylinders of 4.6-liter V8 engines were removed, and the engines were welded together. This yielded a 90-degree V12, with 90.2 mm bore and 77.3 mm stroke.
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.
It also appeared in the videogames 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.
Performance
0-60: 3.1 sec
0-100: 6.2 sec
quarter mile at 140 mph (225 km/h) 10.9 sec
top speed: 235 mph (378 km/h)
Specifications
chassis:carbon fibre body panels on aluminum honeycomb monocoque
length: 4470 mm (176 in)
width: 1963 mm (77.3 in)
height: 1140 mm (44.9 in)
wheelbase: 2946 mm (116 in)
suspension: double wishbone
steering: rack-and-pinion,power assisted
brakes: ventilated all round discs
gearbox: 5-speed manual
drive: rear wheel (2 wheel)
weight: 3199 lbs (1451 kg)
Engine
configuration: V12
location: middle
construction: aluminum block and head
displacement: 5.927 liter/361.7 cu in
bore: 90.2 mm (3.6 in)
stroke: 77.3 mm (3 in)
compression: 8,0:1
valve train: 4 valves/cylinder,DOHC
fuel feed: fuel injection
aspiration: 4 garret T2 turbos
power: 720 bhp/537 KW at 6600 rpm
torque: 895/660 ft lbs at 4750 rpm
BHP: 121
liter: 6.0
References
- John McCormick "No White Elephant" AUTOCAR, 9 August 1995.
- Top Gear - Series 3 Episode 1 aired 26 October 2003
- Ford GT90 Official U.S. Press Release - 4 December 1994
- Top Gear 1996
External links
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