By Chris Ward, January 16, 2015
North Korea has seen its fair share of dictators Kim Jong il was the worst ever or so we presumed. When the dear leader died in 2011 after a 17 year reign of terror his son, Kim Jong Un, was supposed to usher in a new more pro western era. It didn’t happen, Kim Jong Un is much worse why? Because he was educated in the West and experienced its benefits which he denies his North Korean comrades.
The same applies to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, he too finished his postgraduate education in London and assumed his current 15 year reign of terror following on in the footsteps of his father’s 30 year reign of terror. You could talk about Western imperialism too and the current American diplomatic imperialism that is otherwise resting under a veil of democracy.
So what has all this got to do with cars specifically supercars and the Ford GT40? Its all about what has gone before because to understand the present you have to understand the past. The Ford GT40 was never bad in its day this British-American designed and developed endurance racer was made between 1964-1969 and manufactured both in America and England.
The Ford GT40 won the World Sports Car Championship four times in a row in the 1960s it was Ford at its best showing the world (and the dominant Ferrari) just what it is capable of. The original GT40 was developed purely for racing and the road going version was a thing of beauty so was the 2005 second generation.
Added to that was the classic V8, there isn’t a sound more inspiring than the throng of 8 cylinders working in harmony to produce one of the most evocative of mechanical soundtracks. But its all gone, the slow death of the V8 era has been signaled with the arrival of the third generation GT40 which was revealed at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
First thing I don’t like is the styling, sure its optimised for aerodynamic stability, indeed it highlights just how far and how advanced the understanding of aerodynamics has become. But the gouges in the GT40’s body work where the air is supposed to flow unimpeded is like some one putting a hole in a Henry Moore statue or a Turner painting, or a Big Mac Burger.
The worst of the worst is that twin-turbo V6, yes its perfect for a Renault Clio and yes its more powerful, but Ecoboost technology? Eco bloody boost? Give me a break or shoot me in the foot, preferably the left. Sorry but the terminology “Ecoboost” should not even figure in the DNA of a supercar.
Imagine a new Ford GT40 owner saying “Oh Look at my new Ford GT40 its got 600bhp, can cover 0-60mph in 3 seconds and its got Eco-boost technology so I can do 12mpg.” Its going to cost £200k anyone who can afford the price can afford every other associated cost. Its no longer a supercar its a whimper, a fragmentation of the very essence that once made up the supercar blueprint.
No longer do we have hair-on-your-chest V8’s the supercar has moved on to a new era, it is gone buried under legislation and lower C02 emissions. SCREW YOU G/KM!
The 2015 Ford GT40 is worse than what has gone before because is dilutes the over the top brutality of the classic supercar breed.
2015 Ford GT40 you and your Ecoboost technology have ruined the supercar forever and you both are the worst car/technology of the week.