Tim Burton – or Shmee150, as he’s known to his roughly 2.5 million YouTube subscribers – has owned and driven his fair share of exotic machines over the years, including a Ford GT that he was approved to purchase back in 2016. In the years since, Burton has driven his Ford GT quite a bit, even putting it on the dyno to see what kind of power it puts down at the wheels. Now, nearly a year after the 2023 Ford GT Mk IV was unveiled, Burton recently had the chance to check out the very last, track-focused version of that particular supercar at the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway – and even spend some time in it on the track, to boot.
The 2023 Ford GT Mk IV is about as good as a send-off can get, a car designed to represent the ultimate version of the supercar and pay tribute to the original Mk IV that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, it isn’t street legal, instead opting to go all-out in terms of performance, with upgrades including revisions to its twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine that result in an output north of 800 horsepower, along with a longer wheelbase, a carbon fiber long tail body, various aero tweaks, and Multimatic’s specially-tuned Adaptive Spool Valve (ASV) suspension setup.
Burton has spent quite a bit of time on the track behind the wheel of his own Ford GT, along with other cars, but even he’s completely blown away after his experience in the Mk IV with Scott Maxwell, Multimatic Development Driver, behind the wheel. He admits that even riding in the passenger seat is “exhausting,” as it gave him quite the workout. Burton wasn’t expecting the level of performance that he experienced, which left him nearly speechless – not typical for the rather exuberant YouTuber.
Unfortunately, this isn’t an experience that many of us will be lucky enough to emulate, as just 67 examples of the 2023 Ford GT Mk IV will be built, all with a price tag of at least $1.7 million. Couple that with the fact that those 67 folks have to be approved to purchase one, and it goes without saying that most of us will probably never even see one in person – let alone get to ride in this amazing machine.
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Comments
I guess that it’s reassuring to know that they’ll be out there somewhere.
I would love to see the Mark IV as a Garage 56 entry at next year’s Le Mans! I know that risks overshadowing the Mustang GT3, but the fans would love it!