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The Ford GT: Made in Canada

In case you missed it, it was announced that the new 2017 Ford GT, the company’s new supercar, will be built in Ontario, Canada. Joe Henrich, the president of the Americas for Ford, made the announcement last year in February 2015 at the Canadian International Auto Show.

The GT will be built by Multimatic Motorsports, a company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Multimatic is known for designing and developing lightweight composite automotive system at manufacturing and engineering facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. Some notable supercars that the company has engineered include the Aston Martin CC100 and GM’s Camaro Z/28. In fact, Ford and Multimatic have had a partnership for about 30 years.

The Ford GT is currently in-production this calendar year. The GT will be a two-door supercar, which will feature a lightweight carbon-fibre design, a two-seat cockpit, and upward swinging doors.

The Ford GT: Made in Canada

Ford is investing heavily into lighter materials moving forward. Instead of steel, the new GT will have aluminum front and rear subframes, while the overall structure will be built with carbon fibre body panels. What is carbon fibre exactly? It is one of the world’s strongest materials for its mass. And of course, it is more expensive to produce.

Under the hood, the GT will feature the twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 engine, producing more than 600 horsepower.

Many analysts and experts are predicting that Ford will only build a few hundred GTs a year and charge more than $200,000 for the supercar. The GT is one of 12 vehicles that Ford is releasing as part of the new Ford Performance division. Other all-star vehicles include the Focus RS, F-150 Raptor and Mustang GT 350R.

While we’re waiting for the new Ford GT to be released in 2017, let’s reflect on the history of the Ford GT.

The Ford GT: Made in Canada

No one really knew the real motivation behind creating the Ford GT in the 60s. Many believed that Henry Ford II, the president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, wanted to create a program that could beat Ferrari’s line of fast cars.

As a result, the original Ford GT launched in 1964 and was dubbed as “GT40” because its roof was exactly 40 inches above the ground.

To compete with Ferrari, Ford entered three cars into the 24-hour race that year, and all failed to finish the race. In 1966, Ford spent more money into the Ford GT Program and the investment paid off. The GT40 came in first, second and third place, with the highest-place Ferrari coming in eighth place.

The GT40 was reborn in 2005 as the “Ford GT”. And 12 years later, a new Ford GT will be released in 2017. Stay tuned for any news regarding the Ford GT!

Visit us at Kitchener Ford for all your Ford needs. We are located at 707 Ottawa Street South, in Kitchener, Ontario. Our helpful staff are ready to assist you in any way they can. We are proud to serve the Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding communities with an experienced, professional team that looks forward to taking care of you from the moment you walk in the door.