Ford Presents “The Return,” Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Story of the All-New Ford GT

When Ford Motor Company unveiled the all-new Ford GT, the automotive world was surprised, even shocked, that no information had leaked out. Now it’s lifting the curtain in a five-part video series called “The Return.”

Ford’s passion is for making the most innovative, cutting-edge vehicles on the road. That’s what inspired them to design and build the newest Ford GT.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT’s first win at the Le Mans 24 Hours by returning to the iconic race was a daring move for a company ready to showcase its newest advances in Ford EcoBoost, aerodynamics and lightweighting in one vehicle.

“The Ford GT is a showcase that will help drive even more advanced technologies into our vehicle lineup,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We are using it not only to see what is possible, but also to help write the next chapter in our racing history and our future production.”

When Ford designed the all-new Ford GT, it sought to strike the perfect balance between everyday driver comfort and enjoyment - and what would be demanded of a supercar competing on the global sports car racing stage. What was coveted on the street would also need to be competitive on the track. 

“This project is one that’s very close to the heart of who we are at Ford and Ford Performance,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president, Ford Global Product Development, and chief technical officer. “It represents the very best of what we do; that same spirit that drove the innovation behind the first Ford GT still drives us today. We’re not after short-term success – our eyes are on the long-term gain having a halo product that is this exciting can do for us, both in offering a new chapter in the Ford GT legend for fans and behind the scenes in engineering.”

“The Return” features Ford, Nair and Dave Pericak, director, Global Ford Performance, and shows both the development of the Ford GT and its adventures on the race track racing around the world in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (North America) and FIA World Endurance Championship (global).

“We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we have a long way to go,” Pericak said. “Every time we race the Ford GT, we learn something. Our ultimate goal is the return to Le Mans.”

Five episodes started on March 17:

• Episode 1: “The Return: The Decision” – Bill Ford, Raj Nair and Dave Pericak discuss what it will take to be successful with the all-new Ford GT.
• Episode 2: “The Cutting Edge” – Ford GT represents the best and newest technology Ford has to offer – elements that will benefit the full product lineup.
• Episode 3: “Let’s Race” – Tells the story of the Ford GT’s racing debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
• Episode 4: “A Driver’s Perspective” – Tells the story from the drivers’ point of view, from what it was like to be selected to competing at the Le Mans 24 Hours. (Coming soon).
• Episode 5: “The Road to Le Mans” – The race to the starting line comes to a close at last at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours. (Coming soon).