Ford Performance announced it will offer Ford GT owners with a unique order kit. Approved applicants will receive a kit that allows them to physically piece together every aspect of their all-new supercar – everything from paint colors, wheel options, caliper colors, interior material samples and racing stripes.
The Ford GT design team has gone well beyond the traditional online build site, developing miniaturized, abstract pieces for each kit employing the same advanced materials used throughout the car’s interior – including carbon fiber and a latch identical to that found on Ford GT race car. Swatches of each interior theme are included, featuring the same high-quality leather and Alcantara that will accent the cabin of the all-new Ford GT.
Ford Introduces 360-Degree Virtual Reality App With Ford GT Action
In addition to building exciting cars and trucks, Ford is always looking to expand the experience for customers and it’s latest release is the new FordVR App, a free downloadable App that puts you trackside at one of the biggest auto races in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford Introduces 360-Degree Virtual Reality App With Ford GT action and there’s more to come.
With the App, you’ll experience the sights, the sounds, and up-close action from pit lane, to being right there in the car with the drivers, and all from the comfort of your own home. The new Ford virtual reality app makes all of this possible. Launching today for iOS and Android users in the United States, Ford’s new virtual reality app delivers a powerful storytelling platform for consumers and fans to experience Ford innovations like never before.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to provide truly immersive experiences that showcase the best of Ford Motor Company,” says Lisa Schoder, Ford digital marketing manager. “Our virtual reality platform allows us to tell dramatic, impactful stories, to show a surprising side of Ford.”
The first piece of featured content is the story behind the all-new Ford GT’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Fifty years after the original victory, the innovative balance of power and efficiency in Ford’s EcoBoost® engine delivered an incredible class win earlier this year.
“Just as Ford GT goes beyond the traditional at Ford, our entry into virtual reality content creation demonstrates how our passion for innovation permeates every piece of our business and offers a new touch point for tech-savvy consumers to connect with our brand,” says Schoder.
To help achieve its goals, Ford partnered with integrated production company Tool of North America, a leader in virtual reality and 360-degree content and mobile app creation. Tool has won numerous awards for innovation in storytelling, including Emmys, The One Show, South by Southwest, AICP and the Cannes Lions Palme d’Or.
“As an auto and racing enthusiast, I was inspired by the opportunity and the challenge of helping the iconic Ford brand make its virtual reality debut,” says Erich Joiner, director and founder, Tool of North America. “For the innovative Ford GT, I wanted to create something that gives people an exciting virtual reality experience beyond the traditional. I wanted to use the immersive technology not only to transport them to a new place, but to take them where only a special few from the Ford racing team typically go – inside the famed track at Le Mans.”
The Ford virtual reality app is accessible to anyone with a mobile device. Each piece of content offers users the option to experience it with a virtual reality headset, but headsets are not mandatory.
Ford virtual reality app users can expect the next story to debut in September, featuring Hoonigan Racing’s Ken Block and Ford Focus RS RX. Users with their push notifications turned on will get the update when new content goes live. The new virtual reality platform goes beyond showcasing Ford Performance vehicles.
“On top of sharing virtual reality stories about our innovative products, we are also looking to bring mobility issues to the forefront,” says Schoder. “As we expand our business to be both an auto and a mobility company, we are pursuing emerging opportunities through Ford Smart Mobility.”
More than just showing you racing, this takes you behind the scenes for an unparalleled experience and we imagine that virtual reality will continue to reshape the way consumers interact with brands and engage in storytelling; more than 1 million New York Times subscribers received a virtual reality experience tied to a weekend edition.
The new 2017 Ford GT is set to become one of Ford's most desirable and collectable cars in recent years. We know that it will feature a full carbon fiber body and that it will be powered by a 3.5 liter turbo charged engine making upwards of 700 horsepower in its final trim. Production is set to start at Ford's dedicated facility in Markham, Ontario in late 2016 and at this time production is set to only 250 cars a year.
Ordering one of these "American Exotics" may prove to be a challenge this time around and will not be a simple matter of going to a dealership and laying down ridiculous wads of cash on the salesman’s desk. Oh no this time around you will have to be pre-approved just to place an order for one!
Ford will set up a process where prospective owners can apply to purchase a 2017 GT; when and IF accepted, buyers will then be led through a special ordering procedure to be completed at a Ford GT–certified dealership nearest to them.
This means that each customer, should their application be accepted (we believe longtime Ford owners or those who bought the last GT will have an upper hand), will be paired with a specific car before being personally walked through a special ordering sequence. Ford is discouraging dealers from accepting deposits as there is no guarantee prospective buyers will have their application accepted – doing it this this way Ford say can rule out any disappointment or discontent.
Applications are expected to start being accepted in early 2016, details on that exact experience are still not available but will be forthcoming, and we imagine that it’ll be quite special, especially given how Ford plans to build just 250 GTs per year.
The final MSRP for the car is still up in the air—as is the number of dealerships selected to sell the GT—but we know the new supercar could cost as much as $400,000 plus!
Ford are hoping to return to victory lane at Le Mans in 2016 where the Ford GT will compete in the LM GTE Pro class. This will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT40 win in 1966 by Bruce Mclaren and Chris Amon in their 7.0L V8 powered car.
This new race car is further proof point of Ford's innovation and it will based on the all-new Ford GT supercar unveiled back in January 2015 to rousing enthusiasm at the Detroit Auto Show. Both the production car and race car will arrive in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to repeat its victory at Le Mans in 1967, 1968 and 1969.
The All-new Ford factory program will be to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United Sports Car Championship with a two-team, four-car effort – operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Ford GT is THE company’s showcase for aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction, along with new twin-turbocharged Ford EcoBoost V6 – most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever.
The first piece of featured content is the story behind the all-new Ford GT’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Fifty years after the original victory, the innovative balance of power and efficiency in Ford’s EcoBoost® engine delivered an incredible class win earlier this year.
