Detroit: Ford attempted to land a knock-out blow to its rivals at the Detroit auto show in revealing a dazzling new GT supercar yesterday.
The glitzy presentation at the cavernous arena named after the boxer Joe Louis was an attempt to grab the headlines at the United States’ premier auto show, where power and luxury have roared back to the fore. Ford had given very little away in the lead-up to the first major international auto show of the year, but speculation had been rife that it had something special in mind.
And it did not disappoint, unveiling a GT for next year that immediately won glowing approval from car enthusiasts who flooded social media to proclaim what one called on Twitter “delicious”.
The new GT, an update to the legendary sports car last produced a decade ago, boasts 600 horsepower and twin-turbocharged V6 eco-boost engines. Mark Fields, Ford’s chief executive said the Ford GT will go into production in 2016. The GT will be available late 2016, Fields said, marking the 50th anniversary of the company’s original high-performance racer, the GT40.
Ford had already been in the spotlight in Detroit, snapping up the award for best truck, for the new aluminum F-150, while the Volkswagen Golf was named North American car of the year.
AFP
