See how fast this tuned first-gen Ford GT can go when given plenty of runway to play with.
Ah, the Ford GT. Everyone’s favorite truck-based supercar. Well, at least the first one was truck-based, using the 5.4-L V8 from a Ford F-150 but given a supercharger to make 550 horsepower. The second Ford GT uses a 3.5-L twin-turbo V6 that might have been intended to be used in a supercar all along but was also appropriated for use in a super pickup called the Raptor.
Relationship to pickup trucks aside, the first-gen GT was a hell of a car. Zero to sixty in just 3.8 seconds. Quarter-mile time in the high 11-second rage, but can easily be improved with some appropriate drag radials. Top speed a theoretical 205 mph, but nobody ever got it going that fast to find out.
And now we have a Ford GT trying to prove just how fast it can go while at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds.
Johnny Bohmer has pretty much the perfect spot to do a top speed test. As close as it gets to zero feet above sea level without going under water and absolutely idyllic temperatures in the spring (not so much in the summer, but we’re not quite there yet).
This particular GT is tuned to produce 700 horsepower instead of the stock 550. Last time we saw it on Johnny Bohmer’s runway, we watched it reach a top speed of 194 mph when given just a single mile to run with. We’re hoping to see it reach a much faster speed when given a full 2.7 miles.
Watching this thing race is astounding. You can see each of the car’s shifts from its 6-speed manual transmission as that’s the only times when the car halts its smooth acceleration. 180 mph comes in a blink, and then 200 mph is passed without much effort. Only after surpassing 210 mph does the car finally start to struggle.
You can see the final number in the video above. Rest assured, it’s way higher than the stock model’s 205 mph top speed.