Gran Turismo 6: Ford GT Battle

The Ford GT40 Mark I is an iconic car produced and designed in Britain. Built to compete in LeMans, it won the endurance event four consecutive times from 1966 to 1969. A very successful car in history, which may hint why the GT40 costs a rather steep 2.8 million Credits in Gran Turismo 6. In 2004, Ford produced the GT, a supercar with the design heavily influenced by the GT40, enlarged slightly to suit modern safety regulations. Can it recapture the spirit of the original? I took both cars to Ascari Race Circuit to find out.

To kick things off, I started with the legendary GT40. Painted in a rather fitting 'Champion Yellow', it certainly looks the part. The race-derived V8 engine produces 354hp and the car weighs only 1080kg. It doesn't take long to realise why the GT40 was so successful in LeMans, the car feels so balanced and turning is razor sharp. Bearing in mind this was from the 60's, the agility of the car is especially impressive. 

Even when the rear steps out, a bit of counter steer gets you back on track with little hassle. It is surprisingly easy to drive and it doesn't need spoilers and diffusers to keep it on track. Part of the reason why the car is easy to drive is down to the power band. Most of the power is at the higher end of the rev range so when you come out of corners, the revs progressively build so you get the power when you want it.

Stepping into the Modern GT is a different experience. It has an up to date supercharged V8 producing 550hp but that power has to shift 1451kg, nearly 400kg more than the original GT40. It's got shorter gear ratios, so more power is accessible out of corners. On track, you certainly notice the extra 200 horsepower the GT has to offer. While the GT40 takes corners in a composed manner, the GT is more tail happy. Eager to drift, too much throttle can easily create a smoke cloud. Like its predecessor, the GT can be fast round a track when you want it to be and go around 2 seconds-a-lap faster than the GT40 round Ascari without assists.

In both classic and modern trims, Ford's iconic supercar is and impressive car to look at and drive. A new Ford GT is set to be launched next year with a completely redesigned body and an Ecoboost V6 engine producing 600hp. The number supercar is likely to appear in a future Gran Turismo title and based on what the Ford GT has been capable of historically, expect it to have winning characteristics.