It’s been almost exactly a year to the day since the Ford GT was revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. The Blue Oval has promised that the return of this icon would also herald a return of Ford to the endurance racing circuit after decades of absence, and with the first officially-sanctioned testing session just a few days away.
Before that though, the Blue Oval has released a brief teaser clip that shows the new Ford GT on its home turf, looking and sounding every bit like the race car we were promised.
There’s still a lot of unknowns regarding the production version of the Ford GT, including its curb weight, horsepower numbers, and final production form. Ford will still only say that the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 engine makes “more than 600 horsepower” in its final form, and that the carbon fiber body should come in at well under 3,000 pounds in street legal form.
For racing, Ford will field four GT race cars in 2016, with two heading for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while two others compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The first IMSA race, the 24 Hours of Daytona, is scheduled for the end of January, with the official testing session (the Roar Before the Rolex 24) taking place this Friday, January 8th. It will be here that the new Ford GT shares the race track with other cars for the first time, and all eyes will be on the various Blue Oval teams as their return to racing is scrutinized and compared to a legendary legacy.