The Ford GT began as a concept car designed in anticipation of Ford's centennial year and as part of its drive to showcase and revive its "heritage" names such as Mustang and Thunderbird. It drew heavily for inspiration on Ford's classic GT40 race cars of the 1960s.
Positive response on the auto show circuit in 2002 helped persuade the company to produce the car in limited quantities, and the first production versions appeared in 2003. It is a very high-performance, two-seater vehicle with a strong styling resemblance to its racing ancestor and performance to match. The powerplant is a mid-mounted supercharged 5.4 liter V8, producing more than 500 horsepower (373 kW) and 500 foot-pounds (678 Nm) of torque. Top speed is over 200 mph (322 km/h).
Full production began in spring 2004, with a projected annual volume of 1500 cars. The first customers took delivery in September 2004. The GT is built and painted by Saleen in a small, 180,000 ft² (17,000 m²) factory in Troy, Michigan. Installation of the engine, transmission, and interior is handled by Ford's Wixom, Michigan plant.
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