Ford possibly announcing a Race-ready 2016 GT this Friday before Le Mans Race

By Alexander Kalogianni June 9, 2015

2017 Ford GT — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s sure to be one of the hottest things on the road when it launches, but the new 2016 Ford GT may be primed to tear up the track as well.

Ford announced that this Friday at 9:00 am EST, it plans to make a “significant performance news” announcement. In attendance will be Ford Executive Chairman, Bill Ford, President and CEO Mark Fields, and Group Vice President of Global Product Development Raj Nair.

Trust us, they don’t put all these guys together if it isn’t big.

Also in attendance will be a special guest, with no hint as to just who that might be. Given the nature of the announcement, we’ll guess its either a driver or a team manager.

Ford GT rendering — An unofficial rendering of what an LMP-category Ford GT might look like rc82/automeo

So what makes us so sure this has to do with the new GT entering motorsport? Well, when Ford revealed the new 2016 Ford GT at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, rumors were already churning about a race car version following soon after. Why? For one, the timing was perfect. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the original Ford GT that slapped Ferrari in the face with a 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans in 1966. This announcement being held a day before this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans can’t be a coincidence, either.

While the 2005 Ford GT was an affectionate modern tribute to the classic race car, the rumor mill was convinced the new street-legal GT is being made to satisfy homologation requirements – rules that say carmakers need a street version of its car before a race car version can be approved.

We’re already crazy about the six-cylinder ecoboost-powered supercar, and we’re just as geared up for this weekend’s Le Mans race, so if the announcement is what we think it is, we may burst with excitement.

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Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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