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Revisionist Replica

Improving on the original GT40

Looking at Ford's latest supercar, the GT, its ancestry is obvious. Although taller and heavier than the original GT40, the GT is clearly from the same end of the gene pool. Yet its mission is primarily on the street—mean streets, to be sure, but creature comforts such as air conditioning would rarely be found on a pure track car. In contrast, the earliest versions of the GT40 were built essentially for Gran Turismo racing, hence the GT moniker, especially at Le Mans where 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight was the norm.

Looking Back

One look at the legendary GT40, and the first expression that probably comes to mind is "cruise missile." The shape is so slippery; with razor-edge lines as wind-cheating as the supersonic Blackbird SR-71. The car lives for triple digit speeds. Anything less seems a waste.

Comparisons with aircraft are surprisingly apt, as Ford designer Bob Negstad confirmed in an interview several years ago. He said race driver Ken Miles discovered that early prototypes of the GT40 had a disturbing tendency. At high speeds the nose would lift skyward, much like a jet on takeoff, so much so that he could crank the steering wheel in either direction and the car would just keep barreling along in a straight line.

Obviously more downforce had to be added to the aerodynamics after a hair-raising demonstration of this trait. That done, the design went on to win Le Mans four times in a row from 1966 to 1969, most notably being the sledgehammer finish of First, Second and Third places in 1966.

What does this bit of history have to do with the latest incarnation of the GT40 from Superformance? Well, for one thing, it's not merely a GT car with long legs. It's also a stoplight sprinter, thanks to some shorter gearing in First from the RBT transmission.

Fast Forward

By way of comparison, the four-speed '66 GT40 could run up to 89 mph at 6,200 rpm (a mind-boggling fact to imagine). But this latest version from Superformance, armed with a 427-cube small-block from Roush, hits 53 mph at 6,400 rpm, all in less than four seconds. Also, the overall weight of the car is some 150 pounds lighter than the original Ford GT40. All of which means the acceleration off the line is mind-bending, something GT cars are not necessarily known for. The horizon rushes up at you like when pushing the zoom button on a telephoto lens. The sensation is akin to getting your backside flung from a slingshot. And yet with four more gears to play with, the car still can bust through the 200 mph barrier. Gentlemen, here's your cake—now eat it, too.

Given the 40-inch height of the car, you don't actually sit in a GT40, but lie in it, almost in a prone position. Fortunately there's a Gurney bubble in the roof for taller drivers. The driver's side is slightly wider than the passenger's, yet snug is still the operative term after climbing behind the wheel. The gauge layout is very racer-like, with the speedometer mounted off to the side, as sort of an afterthought. Engine revs and vitals are the priority here. And forget about looking behind in the rear-view mirror. All you'll see is the air cleaner of the mid-mounted engine.

Fire up the 511-hp Roush V-8, and you won't ever wonder if it's in engaged. The sound from the bundle 'o snakes exhaust is anything but subtle. It snarls like a mountain lion about to pounce, and the car claws through the gears with tenacity. The 5-speed RBT transaxle has a dogleg layout, which takes some getting used to. We also found the pedal layout favors street driving over heel-and-toe shifting, but the box is adjustable. And don't turn that wheel too hard, or the tires will rub; and be careful to angle the car on a steep driveway to keep from scraping the nose.

Middle Man

Despite the lack of refinements (except for the welcome addition of air conditioning), this Superformance more than lives up to the company name. The car is a superlative thrill ride, a raw-boned exercise in extremes. The rocket-like launch never lets up, and just keeps pushing you to a level of performance that's nearly inconceivable. And once you're there, you don't ever want to leave. You're ruined for life.

As for handling, the semi-monocoque chassis is virtually identical to the original GT40's layout (Superformance claims that 90 percent of the parts are interchangeable between the two cars). Cornering is so flat and sure, it feels as if you're chained to the apex, like a tetherball rounding its pole. Roll on the throttle as you exit the turn, and there's none of that wild fishtailing or throttle-induced oversteer. Just a sure-footed plant on the pavement that takes set and lets you squirt out of the turn in a clean, smooth line. Drifting this car on a road-course would likely be child's play, thanks to the mid-mounting of the engine and finely balanced suspension setup.

First on the market was Superformance's Mk I version and, with engineering improvements, it evolved into the Mk II version shown here. In the interest of safety, left-hand drive is available for the U.S. market. By moving the shifter to the center tunnel (instead of having it mounted on the door sill, as found on the original GT40's right-hand-drive version), more width could be added to the driver's seat.

Hot Seat

The instrument panel is similar to the original Mk I and Mk II, fitted with Smiths instrumentation similar to the original. Unfortunately the original Jones tachometer is no longer available, so this has been replaced with Smiths unit. Because the windows do not open, the high-capacity air conditioner in the road version is a welcome addition. The compact chassis design made this modification a challenge, but it was addressed with a dry sump look-a-like in the original position that covers the custom-built air conditioning unit. The cockpit ventilation also incorporates rooftop louvers as in the Mk II. The driver's side Gurney bubble in the headliner portion of the door is standard.

Superformance opted for a more efficient cross-flow radiator. The twin stainless steel baffled fuel tanks are mounted in the sills, but fuel cells are not available for the road car. A more modern steering rack is used because the tooling costs for original left- and right-hand-drive racks would be prohibitive.

As with other Superformance models (the Cobra roadster and coupes), the cars are delivered as virtually complete, except for the engine and transaxle. Lance Stander, CEO of Superformance, says it takes about a week to install the engine and transaxle. Price of the rolling chassis is $69,800, and the finished car shown here goes for about $100K. Not inexpensive, but still remarkably affordable for a car that's both an exacting re-creation and a revision of a significant piece of GT history.

Resource

Superformance, 800-297-6253, www.superformance.com