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Dave Pericak: New Ford GT ‘Impossible’ Without Performance Brand Consolidation

According to Ford Performance Global Director Dave Pericak, the all-new, 2017 Ford GT supercar as it exists would not have been possible without Ford’s move several years ago to bring together all of its various performance brands – SVT, Team RS, and Ford Racing – under the singular “Ford Performance” banner.

“Without this kind of integrated teamwork and combined organization, it would have been impossible to deliver the all-new Ford GT in its current form,” Pericak says. “This kind of collaboration was critical to not only bringing Ford GT back to life but for experimenting with the kind of innovations needed to create the ultimate supercar.”

And make no mistake: “ultimate” is a perfectly appropriate adjective to describe the new Ford GT. Prior to the GT’s 2015 unveiling, its engine was developed over several IMSA sportscar racing seasons in the Ford EcoBoost/Riley Daytona Prototype; last year, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the first time, the GT won the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTE-Pro class.

“All of the weight savings and engine advancements served a singular purpose – creating the fastest, most-efficient Ford GT ever,” says Pericak. “Once that was achieved, we reinvested some of those weight savings in truly innovative technology that made the car even faster and more fun to drive.”

Populating the list are things like a carbon-fiber body, carbon-fiber wheels, a Corning Gorilla Glass windshield, active aerodynamics, and a truly innovative adjustable suspension, all of which contribute to make a truly exemplary high-performance road car.

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

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