- Ford GT power, performance and active aerodynamics on show as GT road car tackles Goodwood Hillclimb for the first time, driven by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing drivers
- Track ready Ford Mustang GT4 race car makes European debut on challenging 1.16-mile (1.9-kilometre) Goodwood Hillclimb course
- Vaughn Gittin Jr. returns to Goodwood with bespoke 750 horsepower Ford Mustang RTR drift car to participate in a new drift category
- All-new Ford Fiesta makes U.K. debut at Goodwood alongside sporty new Ford S-MAX ST-Line model shown for the first time
GOODWOOD, U.K., June 29, 2017 – The ultra-high-performance Ford GT road car makes its Goodwood Hillclimb debut alongside the Ford Mustang GT4 race car on show in Europe for the first time, at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Billy Johnson, Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell are taking the wheel of the 216 mph (347 km/h) Ford GT to tackle the challenging 1.16-mile (1.9-kilometre) Goodwood Hillclimb course. All three drivers are fresh from competing at the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours in the sister Ford GT race car, where Priaulx, Tincknell and Pipo Derani grabbed the runner up spot in the GTE Pro Class with the #67 Ford GT during a thrilling finish.
The track-ready Ford Mustang GT4 also is piloted by Johnson, and Ford’s Le Mans stars are joined at Goodwood by drifting ace Vaughn Gittin Jr., returning with his bespoke Mustang RTR to participate in the festival’s first ever drift event.
Visitors to Ford’s Goodwood show stand also are able to experience for the first time in the U.K. the all-new version of the country’s best-selling car; the Ford Fiesta. Ford also is showing for the first time the new Ford S-MAX ST-Line sports activity vehicle.
“We’re excited to demonstrate the Ford GT – our fastest ever road car – to a Goodwood audience that shares our passion for performance,” said Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president, Europe Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company. “The Ford GT supercar serves as a test bed for new ideas for future vehicles across the Ford line-up. That spirit of innovation and sporting inspiration can also be seen in the all-new Ford Fiesta and new S-MAX ST-Line at our Goodwood showstand.”
Ford GT hits the road
The ultra-high-performance Ford GT brings the driving experience of the Le Mans-winning Ford GT race car to the road, using innovative technologies.
Powered up the Goodwood Hillclimb for the first time by a 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine SAE rated at 647 horsepower and 550 lb.-ft. of torque in U.S. specification, the Ford GT road car is the fastest Ford production vehicle ever.
Active aerodynamics change on demand to match different driving conditions, using moveable elements around the body, including special ducts in the front, and a large deployable wing. Hydraulic suspension can adjust ride height for optimal performance, and drivers can easily adjust the car’s settings for different scenarios with five unique Drive Modes: Normal mode, Wet mode, Sport mode, Track mode and V-Max mode.
The Ford GT’s carbon fibre construction delivers both weight savings and sleek body shapes that would not have been possible with steel or aluminium.
Ready-to-race Ford Mustang GT4
The fearsome Ford Mustang GT4 – a track-ready race car version of the iconic Ford Mustang that was last year the world’s best-selling sports car – is on show in Europe for the first time at Goodwood.
The Mustang GT4 was engineered jointly by Ford Performance and Multimatic Motorsports to compete in sports car championship racing series globally, including the GT4 European Series, Pirelli World Challenge GTS/GT4, and IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge that was last year won by Billy Johnson and Scott Maxwell driving the Ford Shelby GT350R-C.
Available for racing privateers and teams to order through Multimatic Motorsports from mid-July, the race car is powered by a next generation 5.2-litre V8 engine specifically tuned for GT4 competition and delivering about 450 PS and 600 Nm of torque, subject to each race series’ Balance of Performance requirements.
The high performance engine features a dry sump oiling system, and ZF-developed twin-plate racing clutch and flywheel. A compact six-speed Holinger paddle shift transmission delivers pneumatic-activated gear shifts. Lightweight carbon fibre is used for the front splitter; bonnet and vents; rear diffuser; roof; tailgate; doors; and rear wing – the design of which was derived from lessons learned by the Ford GT racing program.
Race-tuned stopping power is delivered with 380 mm front discs and six-piston Brembo callipers; and 313 mm rear discs with four-piston Brembo callipers.
Ready to Rock Mustang
Formula Drift Champion and three-time World Drift Series Champion, Vaughn Gittin Jr., returns to Goodwood with his bespoke Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D drift car.
Gittin Jr.’s Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D exhibition car is based on his competition drift car, and is powered by a Ford Performance Aluminator XS engine with a Vortech Supercharger that produces 750 horsepower and is able to rev to 8,000 rpm. Fully adjustable suspension enables the handling dynamics of the Mustang RTR drift car to be fine-tuned, and carbon fibre body panels reduce weight for even sharper responses.
All-new Fiesta
In addition to the action on track, visitors to the Ford stand at Goodwood are able to discover models including the all-new Ford Fiesta – making its U.K. public debut.
The all-new Fiesta is the most technologically advanced small car on sale in Europe, offering sophisticated driver assistance including Pedestrian Detection that for the first time can help prevent collisions at night; and the first Ford Active Park Assist system that can deliver brake interventions to prevent low-speed bumps when parking hands-free.
Connectivity features include a premium B&O PLAY Sound System, Ford’s SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system, and tablet-inspired touchscreens up to 8-inches. The all-new Fiesta also offers a stylish new exterior and revolutionary interior with more personalisation options than ever before; Fiesta’s first openable, full length, panoramic glass roof; and an even more compelling fun to drive character.
As part of the most comprehensive and versatile line-up of variants in more than 40 years of Fiesta history, distinctive production variants of the Fiesta available to order now include the stylish Fiesta Titanium, the Ford Performance-inspired Fiesta ST-Line, and the upscale Fiesta Vignale. The Fiesta Active crossover and 200 PS Fiesta ST go on sale next year.
New S-MAX ST-Line
The new S-MAX ST-Line – on show for the first time – joins Ford’s line-up of sporty, Ford Performance-inspired ST-Line models that also includes Edge ST-Line, Focus ST-Line, Kuga ST-Line and Mondeo ST-Line.
Ford ST-Line models offer bold styling and sports-tuned driving dynamics alongside powerful and efficient EcoBoost petrol and TDCi diesel engines.
The new S-MAX ST-Line exterior features sports body styling and rear spoiler, 18-inch Rock Metallic alloy wheels with black centre caps, black bezels for the front and rear lamps, and unique ST-Line badges. The interior’s seats, door trims, centre console, gear shifter, floor mats and perforated leather steering wheel are detailed with exclusive red stitching. Aluminium sports pedals, a black headliner and ST-Line scuff plates also feature.
Powerful engine options include Ford’s 210 PS bi-turbo 2.0-litre TDCi diesel and 240 PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol. Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive – which delivers a seamless transition between front-wheel drive and all-wheel-drive performance – also is available in combination with Ford’s 150 PS and 180 PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engines.
Exciting experiences
The three-story Ford stand offers one of the finest views of the festival, further enhanced using Ford’s Spectator Binoculars at locations across two floors.
Visitors can experience The Leap, which challenges daredevils to take a 4.5-metre plunge on to an airbag below. A team of parkour athletes are also ascending an experts-only 9-metre platform eight times a day to perform a series of choreographed stunt falls, spins, flips and somersaults.
Celebrating Ford’s partnership with the Team Sky elite cycling team, visitors to the Ford stand can compete using the Team Sky cycling simulator, which pits guests against each other in a virtual race on handmade Pinarello racing bikes.
Visitors to the stand also can immerse themselves in to the heat of World Endurance Championship (WEC) racing in an incredible 360 degree virtual reality lap of the Silverstone, U.K, racing circuit onboard the Ford GT.
Fans of LEGO will appreciate a special one-third scale LEGO Ford GT race car and full size LEGO racing driver. Comprising 40,000 bricks, the LEGO race car took three weeks to build. Featuring detailed Ford racing overalls and racing helmet, the LEGO driver contains 67,252 bricks; stands 1839.6 mm (6 ft) tall; weighs 61 kg (134.5 lb); and took seven LEGO builders 304 work-hours to construct.
