Ford never designed the new GT to break records in a straight line but rather as a very capable endurance race car, which would, with a few mods, make for a great supercar, too.
With this in mind, the Ford GT is down on power compared to many of its rivals, such as the 710 hp McLaren 720S and the 661 hp Ferrari 488 GTB. Power from the GT’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine sits at 647 hp and while it’s perfectly fine, it falls short of even Ford’s own Shelby Mustang GT500.
Despite all of this, the Ford GT is no slouch off the line, and Brooks from the Drag Times YouTube channel recently took his car out to a half-mile drag racing event to see how it would fare. While the clip below only shows the GT participating in a single race against a 488 Spider, we do get to see its brutal launch control in action.
Off the line, the GT immediately gets a jump over the 488 thanks to slightly quicker reflexes on the part of the driver. Although it does experience quite a lot of wheelspin at the start, it’s able to quickly open up a lead over the 48,8 which it keeps all the way through to the finish line.
Would the result have been the same if the GT was racing a 488 GTB Coupe? Since the 488 Spider only weighs 110 lbs (50 kg) more than its hardtop sibling, we’re inclined to say no. So, down on power it may be, but the Blue Oval’s latest supercar is quite a performer.