NYIAS 2015: Ford is Just Killing It

Because we’re like a real publication, you guys, we’ve sent our man Ben Aghajanian and 

photographer Matt Kalish to the Detroit Auto Show! 

Ford Motor Company opened its Detroit Auto Show press conference in style. The company unveiled the Raptor version of the new F-150, the Shelby GT350R Mustang, and the oft-rumored and now very real, Ford GT supercar.

The F-150 Raptor takes advantage of the enhancements made to all-new 2015 F-150 (already on sale) and builds on them. The F-150’s aluminum body has shaved more than 500 pounds from the original, last-generation Raptor. The Raptor also gets a version of Ford’s 3.5L EcoBoost V6, putting out “more horsepower and torque” than the thirsty 6.2L V8, rated at 411hp and 434 lb.-ft. of torque that’s in the current Raptor. Though the specific power specs were not unveiled for this engine, it was described as being exclusive to the Raptor among the F-150 offerings. It also boasts an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel paddle shifters for manual operation. In addition, Raptor’s Fox Racing Shox have more suspension travel than the outgoing model.

(editor’s note: this thing is going to be a fucking beast, and I already know how awesome an Ecoboost-powered Raptor drives.) 

The Shelby GT350R adds to the storied line of Mustangs to wear the Shelby line. The latest one seems to be geared as a follow-up product to the Boss 302 Laguna Seca Mustang, the even more track-focused version of the Boss 302, only much, much more awesome.

The new GT350R is the latest evolution in track-focused Mustang development. It features the first application of carbon-fiber wheels from a major automaker. Also, Ford’s first flat-plane crank production V8 lies at the heart of the GT350KR. Specific power figures were not released, but Ford claims more than 500hp and more than 400lb-ft of torque from the 5.2L power plant. A Torsen limited-slip differential is also included, as well as an an air-to-oil differential cooler, keeping components from overheating while driving on a track.

(editor’s note: this thing is going to be such a fucking beast) 

Finally, in one of the most anticipated reveals of the show for racing enthusiasts, Ford unveiled the new GT to a very crowded Joe Louis Arena. The GT represents a triumphant return for Ford to the supercar world. While it certainly looks the part as a successor to last-decade’s GT and the fabled GT40 that raced at Le Mans in the 1960s, the new GT has some key changes that will set it apart. First, the V8 is gone—replaced by a version of Ford’s EcoBoost V6 used in the Daytona Prototype unit, and coupled to a seven-speed DCT. Like the other Ford debuts, the power figures were not specifically spelled out, but it will boast more than 600hp. The GT is also built from carbon-fiber for the first time, not steel. The styling is certainly controversial and far less conservative than the 04-06 “Retro/Future” version of the GT now being hoarded round the world by collectors, and there’s loads of styling comparisons to be made with the LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder, and even the new NSX.

(editor’s note: this thing is going to be so fucking ridiculously boss it’s not even funny. I can’t wait to hammer the hell out of one of these things on the race track. What will it do for collector values of 04-06 cars? We suspect, just like the arrival of the Porsche 918 did for the Carrera GT, 04-06 GT’s will skyrocket in price, again. And speculators will be flipping the hell out of the new GT’s for the first two years. 

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