2005 Crown Vic P-71 (interceptor) on 2040-cars

Auto blog

How did Ford keep the GT a secret before Detroit?

True secrecy is a rarity in the automotive industry. Sure, companies try to keep their future projects under wraps all of the time, but usually a spy shot or blurry development photo leaks out. The complete lack of any hard details before its unveiling likely helped make the Ford GT one of the biggest stars of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Not only was it the favorite of Autoblog's editors, but the supercar scored a prestigious EyesOn Design Award, too. Rumors about the vehicle had circulated for weeks before the show, but no one really knew much about the GT until it rolled onto the stage for Ford's press conference in Joe Louis Arena. Amazingly, the Blue Oval kept things mostly a secret during the car's 14- month gestation period prior to its debut. According to Automotive News, the GT project began in late 2013 by a skunk works team, including six designers, that guided the supercar along from birth until the unveiling. Ford kept things clandestine by locking the vehicle in a basement storage room, and only the group members got a key to the lock. Much of the development was also done at night to further keep the secret, but occasionally the prototype was hauled outside on weekends to check it out in natural light. Because of the speed in getting the development done and for even more stealth, the designers didn't get input from the Blue Oval's other styling teams around the world. But that was somewhat of a double-edged sword. "You don't actually get to bounce opinions off people," Ford design boss Moray Callum said to Automotive News. "We were on tenterhooks ourselves until the first people saw it." Even now, there are still mysteries surrounding the GT. There's still no official word on the supercar's power; just that it's over 600 horsepower. There are also the persistent rumors going back months that the Blue Oval plans to take the GT racing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of automaker's Le Mans victory. Although, maybe this time the secrecy wasn't so good because we might have got a glimpse of the racer, recently. Related Video:

Lucid Air and Maserati MC20 unveiled | Autoblog Podcast #644

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd. Before they get to the juicy news of the week, they chat about the cars they've been driving, including a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, Audi A6 Allroad, Mazda CX-9 and Kia Niro. It's been a busy week in the news department, with GM investing in Nikola, Lucid Motors launching the Air electric sedan, Maserati unveiling the MC20 mid-engined supercar and a farewell to the Lexus GS. Then they talk about having a newfound respect for the Fox Body Mustang and the Mazda CX-9. Autoblog Podcast #644 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 2020 Audi A6 Allroad 2020 Mazda CX-9 2020 Kia Niro GM buys $2 billion stake in Nikola, will build Badger hydrogen-electric pickup Update: Short-seller accuses Nikola of fraud and Nikola threatens to sue Lucid Air production electric luxury sedan is a dream revealed Lucid Air's modular powertrain opens up serious performance possibilities Lucid Motors teases electric SUV at Air debut Mid-engined, 621-horsepower MC20 inaugurates a new era for Maserati All future Maseratis will borrow styling cues from the MC20  2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain Lexus GS dead for 2021 Respect to: Fox Body Mustang Mazda CX-9 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Project Ugly Horse alive and kicking at Road & Track

The hallways of the Autoblog campus are much quieter now that Zach Bowman has taken his prose, along with his welders, wrenches and hammers, over to the digital pages of Road & Track, but that doesn't mean our favorite project Mustang is gone forever. Project Ugly Horse is still coming along, and Zach has gifted us another update on his unfoxy Fox Body.
Last we saw of the Ugly Horse, Zach was strengthening up the '89 Mustang's chassis as he prepares to stuff the turbocharged, direct-injected EcoBoost engine of a Ford Focus ST under the hood. First things first, the old mill must go. Head on over to Road & Track to catch the latest chapter of Project Ugly Horse.