2005 Ford GT Preview

Ford's Ferrari Killer

Will 500 horsepower and 0-60 mph in under four seconds be enough to outsell Ferrari?

What you might already know is that the GT is a redo of the 1960s GT40, a classic Le Mans racer that saw limited street production. But what Ford talked up over the weekend was much more detailed than that. Why? Why reveal facts about a car that isn't debuting for 10 months? Why say that the GT's 5.4-liter V-8 will generate 500 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque? Why brag that expected top speeds exceed 180 mph, or tell all about the fact that the GT is designed to be an easy-to-drive, road-going machine, not a modified racer?

Probably because in its centennial year all eyes are on Ford for 2004, when a make-or-break product blitz is set to begin with the new Mustang, the crossover Freestyle, the 500 and a string of other models for Lincoln and Mercury.

And so between this summer -- when the 2004 F-150 begins to roll off the line -- and next winter, Ford will be doing all it can to hype itself and its new toys. And no toy will be more worthy of lust than the roughly $150,000 GT. That's right, the car will sell for about the same price as the current Ferrari 360 Modena and is expected to be faster (0-60 mph in under four seconds), corner better and brake more quickly.