A pair of handcrafted road & track Ford GTs that look and run like racecars.
RH Motorsports, in conjunction with The GT Guy, proudly presents two new “production” Ford GTs for the street, manufactured and produced to the highest OEM production and quality standards. The concept behind the two new cars is actually quite simple according to Ray Hofman, owner of RH Motorsports.
“Take the aggressive styling of the Ford GT1 racecar and mate it with something not possible in any purpose-built racecar: A full stock street car package, an interior with all the amenities, comfort and drivability, and everything that the Ford GT has to offer. Essentially, full blown race-capable, aggressive GT1 and GT3 street legal Supercars. The idea was formed about three years ago as I sat pouring over pictures and brochures presented by Matech on their new GT1 racer and dreaming of being able to drive one on the street. In my mind it was the ultimate expression of the Ford GT. While it started creating waves on tracks across Europe, the desire of having a street legal version became stronger and stronger," said Hofman.
To accomplish this goal, Hofman’s RH Motorsports purchased the original Matech ‘09 GT1 prototype racecar, above, and all of the molds, engineering data and design work that went into the car, as well as the complete bodywork for the GT3 racecar. It came with years of proven race success and development, wind tunnel testing for aero package optimization and a FIA championship race cred.
"People ask us what have we been up to since the Merkury 4 GT project we unveiled a year ago," says Rich Brooks, founding partner with Dennis Breitenbach, owners of The GT Guy LLC, a company specializing in Ford GT development and projects.
"For those of you who remember the Matech GT1 racecar, we have created a GT1 race-inspired street version: FORD GT1-S, above. This street legal Supercar has everything the race version does and will be produced in a very exclusive limited run of just 20 turnkey cars. Featuring a complete OEM quality carbon fiber wide body configuration, the car is completely off the charts when it comes to the ultimate bad boy GT," said Ray Hofman.
Each GT1-S and GT3-S will be built to customer specs, starting with a base model and a full list of options. Full interior packages, including carbon fiber and Alcantara treatments, are also on the menu. Three different engine packages are available, starting with the 760-horsepower GT Guys’ exclusive supercharged 5.4L. A 1,000 horsepower twin-turbo setup and a naturally aspirated 600 horsepower package are available.
"A critical component for this project was the development of the suspension package, adapted from the racecar for the street,” said chief engineer Dennis Breitenbach. The front suspension is four inches wider than stock, using new upper and lower control arms; changing rim offset has widened the rear.
The 760-horsepower prototype shown at the Ford GT Rally at NOLA Motorsports in New Orleans this past weekend has full racing exhaust and GTG cold air intake system along with a smaller supercharger pulley and a custom tune.
“The concept behind the GT3-S, above, is more of a conversion, a fully engineered tuning package available to any GT owner. Continuing with our same model of complete customer customization, this can range from a basic body kit conversion to a full blown dedicated track beast,” added Hofman.
For more information about the GT1-S and GT3-S Ford GTs, please contact the folks at RH Motorsports http://rhmotorsportsllc.com/ and The GT Guy LLC, http://www.thegtguy.com/GTG/home#tabs-0
If you want to learn more about Ford GTs, the annual GT Rally and other GT events, please visit http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/forum.php
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