Ford has unveiled an all-new lightweight version of its upcoming GT supercar, a stripped-out, track-honed rival that’ll put the fear of god into any 911 GT3 RS owner.
Billed by Ford as the highest performing version of the GT road car, the Competition Series is envisioned to be the closest that buyers can get to the racing cars that won last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
To eke out the absolute best performance from the car, Ford has endeavoured on an extensive lightweighting process to strip away every possible scrap of unnecessary mass.
The first things to go are the heavy air conditioning and stereo systems, while the engine cover – normally made from glass – is swapped for Perspex.
Like the front windscreen, the rear bulkhead is made from Gorilla Glass, the same type of material you’ll find on your smartphone screen, which is much thinner and lighter than regular glass but extremely tough.
Smartphone-style glass, ultra-lightweight carbon wheels
The wheels, which are made from lightweight aluminium on the standard GT, are swapped for the same type of carbon fibre wheels last seen on the Shelby GT350R.
Much of the car is finished in raw carbon fibre to save a few grams’ worth of paint, while even the lugnuts are made of super-light titanium which shaves the equivalent weight of a thick pair of socks from the car’s unsprung mass.
Competition Series GTs also get unique, stripped-back interiors with Alcantara upholstery, a unique centre console plate and anodized red metallic paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.
Ford has yet to specify whether the GT Competition Series gets any extra horsepower over the standard car, but even sans additional horsepower its power-to-weight ratio should be greatly improved.
Likewise, word on pricing and availability has yet to be announced, but given how hard it is to buy even the regular GT, it’s safe to say the new Ford GT Competition Series will be pretty darn exclusive indeed.