The Ford GT Heritage Edition might be little more than an appearance package, but we’ll still gladly take any excuse we can to watch a stunning American supercar light up a dyno. Here’s what happened when Hennessey Performance strapped a stock 2018 Ford GT Heritage Edition to its rolling stage.
The Ford GT Heritage puts out 581 horsepower and 513 lb-ft of torque at the wheels—that’s a drop of about 10 and 7 percent, respectively, from the stated figures from the EcoBoost V6. That’s actually pretty good considering the industry average for parasitic power loss is around 15 percent. Its rear mid-engine setup obviously helps.
Speaking of American supercars, the GT has the 2018 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 beat in this regard. When Hennessey put the new ZR1 on the dyno, it was off the crank numbers by about 13 percent. Of course, the rumored mid-engine C8 Corvette would likely match the GT’s efficiency in pushing power to the wheels.
The 2018 Ford GT Heritage Edition pays homage to Ford’s 1967 Le Mans victory with red paint, white stripes, and the number one on the doors and the hood. Its special interior gives you red accent stitching on the seats and the steering wheel plus cool red seat belt webbing. The inside also makes subtle changes to the paddle shifters, door sills, and various trim pieces. The 2019 model is an homage to the aqua-and-orange Gulf Oil liveries worn by the Le Mans-winning GT40s in 1968 and 1969.
Some say the Ford GT’s engine doesn’t have enough cylinders, but it’s hard to complain about almost 600 horsepower at the wheels. Hennessey plans to push those numbers even higher with modifications to the air induction system, intercooler, exhaust, and turbos. We’ll see what’s cooking in South Texas in the coming months.