Ford GT 2017: It's All About Muscle

DEARBORN, MI — To say the Ford GT had lofty expectations prior to its recent unveiling is a major understatement. By all accounts, the “super car,” as some media members have dubbed it, hits the mark and then some. And as you might expect, this ultimate muscle car is all about power.

Bone-rattling, thrill-seeking, pin-you-to-the-back-of-your-seat power. An adaptation of Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6, the twin-turbo street-legal engine in the GT edition is rated for 647 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque, the Detroit Free Press reports.

If you want to buy the GT, it will set you back $450,000 — the most expensive retail car built by a Detroit automaker. Even if you have the money, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get one, either. Dearborn-based Ford Motor Company is running its own version of extreme vetting of prospective owners.

According to Henry Ford III, who manages Ford Motorsports marketing, 6,500 people have applied worldwide to own one of the first 750 cars produced. Among other criteria, the applicants were vetted on a basis of loyalty to Ford, the Free Press reports. Potential owners also have to promise to drive the car rather than stow it away as a collectible.

For that high price tag and vetting process, the lucky few who will eventually drive the Ford GT are in for the ride of their lives. The racing version of the GT dominated its class at Le Mans last year, finishing first, third, and fourth. The consumer version is different, of course, but still retains much of that race car vibe.

Start with that engine that gets drivers from 0-to-60 m.p.h. In a ridiculous three seconds flat. The downside of all that speed is rather poor fuel economy — 11 m.p.g. city, 18 highway — but if you can afford a GT, do gas prices even matter?

Should you actually get behind the wheel and treat I-696 like it’s the Autobahn, you’ll notice how well it hugs the road and curves. That’s not by accident. The GT has a “nose and keel” aerodynamic design that forces air through channels under the car, the Detroit News reports.

Working in tandem with a sculpted rear deck and wing, the GT’s aerodynamics literally suck it to the ground, generating 400 pounds of downforce. Every surface has been refined to minimize drag and optimize downforce, increasing cornering grip, a Free Press reviewer wrote.

So what does all that performance mean for your average driver? Well, it’s not what you might get from a touring-friendly vehicle like the Ford Flex or Lincoln Navigator.

The seats have a race car feel, but are also supportive. Contemporary amenities are limited, climate control, audio, and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, including navigation, on a smallish center dash screen, the Free Press reviewer wrote. There’s also not much head room and stowage is largely absent, the newspaper wrote.

Photo by Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images News / Getty Images. Additional Photos courtesy of the Ford Motor Company.