The Ford GT is back. And then some. Taking all the headlines at the Detroit motor show - and confirming some tasty rumours that have been rumbling for a little while now - is the third iteration of Ford's supercar.
And gone is the supercharged V8 of old, replaced by an Ecoboost engine. Fear not, though, as it still packs a proper amount of cylinders. A twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 engine drives the rear wheels with ‘more than' 600bhp, and with motorsport development behind it, Ford is claiming great efficiency.
Of course, it's performance we care about. Nothing's confirmed in that area just yet, but a 0-60mph time close to 3.0secs and a top speed north of 200mph ought to be very feasible targets.
There's plenty to help it on its way too, with lots of carbon fibre to keep the weight down. A carbon passenger cell, a la McLaren 650S and P1, is joined by carbon in chassis components too. "The GT will exhibit one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any production car", Ford promises.
Aerodynamics play a huge role, as you may be able to tell from styling way more intricate and involved than the rather retro-tastic GT of ten years ago. Keeping pace with its key rivals - and with Ferrari's spectacular 458 clearly in mind - there are active aero elements, including a rear wing whose height and angle react to speed and conditions.
Other goodies? There's racing-inspired pushrod suspension, adjustable ride height and upward-swinging doors.
The old GT's manual transmission is gone, rather inevitably replaced by a seven-speed paddleshifter, while the driver environment very much takes its cues from what Ferrari's currently doing; a fully customisable instrument display sits behind a steering wheel free of stalks but festooned with buttons, while the seat is fixed, the pedals and wheel adjustable instead.
You have to admit, it looks brilliant. It'll land at some point in 2016, by which time the new turbo 458 and 911 GT3 RS will be here, as well as the new Honda NSX and McLaren Sports Series. What a group test that would be...
