Update: It's official, the Ford GT is the new king. Just a few days after Car and Driver's 2:43.0 Lightning Lap time, a second go of the track with Ford racing driver Billy Johnson behind the wheel saw the GT record a lap time of 2:38.62, making it the fastest car ever around the track.
How fast is the new Ford GT? Other than the imposing 647 horsepower (482 kilowatts) and 550 pound-feet (745 Newton-meters) of torque that comes from under the hood, we now know just how fast the sports car is on the track, too. Car and Driver recently took the new Ford GT to Virginia International Speedway – which is sort of like an American Nürburgring – and put up an impressive lap time.
At 2:43.0, the Ford GT is officially the fastest car the publication has ever tested at VIR as part of its Lightning Lap series, and the third fastest car around the track all time. The only two cars that are quicker around VIR are the Corvette Z06 (2:41.32), and the Dodge Viper ACR (2:40.02)… but C&D estimates that with more than a day of driving, that lap time could dive "potentially by entire seconds."
Though it may be slightly slower than some of its American counterparts, the GT is faster than german supercars like the Porsche 918 (2:43.10), and the Mercedes-AMG GT R (2:43.40). It also recorded the second fastest speed of all time on the track, 163.6 miles per hour (263.3 kilometers per hour), down the front straight, just behind the Porsche 918 (170.6 mph). In the climbing Esses, the GT hit 148.0 mph (a new lightning lap record), and recorded a whopping 1.17 g’s in Turn One.
It’s an impressive feat to say the least, especially when you consider that it’s the only vehicle in C&D’s top 10 to do it with a six-cylinder engine – a 3.5-liter biturbo EcoBoost, to be exact – and the only vehicle in the top five overall at VIR. The next fastest six-cylinder car is the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which recorded a time of 2:46.80.
Let's hope the next stop for the Ford GT is the Nürburgring.
Source: Car and Driver
Gallery: 2017 Ford GT: First Drive