News: Ford to announce new 600bhp EcoBoost sports car?

FORD IS about to launch a follow-up to its GT sports car (pictured above), powered by an EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine, if reports are to be believed.

The rumours – and they are only rumours – suggest the sports car will be revealed at the 2015 Detroit motor show in January, ready for a production run of more than 1,000.

The successor to the GT and GT40 is believed to be a “halo” car (a high-end model intended more for publicity than profit) to get people talking about Ford’s EcoBoost engines. These fuel-efficient units are fitted to some of Ford’s most popular models, including the Fiesta supermini and even the new Mustang muscle car coming to Britain at the end of 2015.

The Ford GT was a mid-engined two-seat sports car built between 2004 and 2006 that harked back to the GT40 racing car. Our columnist Jeremy Clarkson loved it so much that he bought one, but soon afterwards he handed it back to Ford, complaining of a faulty alarm system.

Some reports speculate that the new sports car will coincide with a return by Ford to the Le Mans 24 Hours. The company won the endurance event with GT40s four years running in 1966-9.

We asked Ford about the mooted new model, but it declined to comment.