In a few short months the all-new, 600 horsepower Ford GT will go into (extremely limited) production, and rumor has it that would-be buyers actually have to apply just to be considered for GT ownership. The Ford GT will also take to the race track, competing in the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance series with aspirations of dominating the Circuit de la Sarthe once again.
Before the Ford GT can conquer Le Mans again though, it has to get lots of practice and testing in first. Last week the Ford GT was caught out testing at Sebring International Raceway for the 2016 FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship seasons, and we can really hear it let loose in this video. But does it sound like a Ford GT race car should?
That’s the question we find ourselves asking as the buzzing of the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine keeps reverberating in our brains. It’s certainly not the worst-sounding car ever built, and that growling buzz is reminiscent of the European exotics the original GT40 was built to beat. That’s how a small-displacement, six-cylinder race engine sounds, like it or not. There are things Ford can do to make it sound “better”, but unless it also makes the GT go faster, it probably won’t happen.
But it’s not just buzzy European cars the new GT has to defeat, as it will encounter both the Dodge Viper GTS-R and Corvette C7.R, powered by an 8.2 liter V10 and 6.2 liter V8, respectively. Those engines roar with the V8 fury American muscle cars are known for, but Ford has committed to its downsized EcoBoost engines and turbochargers.
But all that really matters is how it plays out on the race track. If the Ford GT can pull out a big win at Le Mans, is anybody going to really care how it sounds?