VMAX

Ford GT Gets V-Max Mode For Maximum Velocity

The new Ford GT will allow the driver to select five different driving modes that will be capable of changing a number of characteristics of the all-new supercar.

At the flick of the steering wheel mounted switch,  the aerodynamics, gear change ride height, and stability systems are adjusted to suit a variety of different situations.  Along with this switchable setup, Ford has confirmed that each mode has its own unique dial setup giving differing readouts dependent on the mode selected.

V-Max For Maximum Velocity

In V-Max mode, engineering speak for “maximum velocity”, the Ford GT lowers itself by 50 mm and stows its substantial rear wing to maximize aerodynamic efficiency. All of these changes enable the GT to reach its top speed of 216 mph. Although Ford has added a disclaimer stating that this mode is “not for street use’.

Track mode is very similar to V-Max, again the suspension drops by 50 mm to sharpen the car’s handling, it also firms up the dampers and gives increased spring rates, the rear wing is fully deployed along with the use of the aero flaps situated in the front bumper to give maximum downforce on track. Ford again has applied the disclaimer that this mode is ‘not for street use’.

Maximum Attack – For The Road

The remaining modes include Sport mode which delivers some really clever trickery to keep the car in maximum attack mode whilst ensuring you don’t encounter any near death experiences by forcing the rear wing to intervene at 70 mph onwards. The throttle is adjusted to sharpen the response, also, the anti-lag system keeps the turbochargers spinning to ensure that full boost is available on demand; this system was developed in the Le Mans winning Ford GT race car.

Thankfully Ford has also given the all-new GT Normal and Wet modes should you simply want to drive somewhere without any drama, both of these modes raise the car to give 120 mm of ground clearance, which should be more than sufficient for clearing most obstacles on UK roads, the throttle and gearbox are configured for standard driving and to prevent any issues the traction and stability modes cannot be adjusted.

Launch Control – Ease Of Use

Ford has also included a simple to use launch control system that they say will “provide optimal traction for the perfect launch everytime” – Designed for track use, the system is activated via the steering wheel mounted controls, when activated a white “LC” icon appears on the instrument cluster, simply apply the brake with your left foot, apply copious amounts of throttle with your right foot, await the “LC” icon to go green, let go of the brake and off you go to mind-warping speeds while launching perfectly.

Ford have clearly raised the supercar benchmark a little higher for 2017 with its GT supercar, the huge array of adjustability to suit almost any driving conditions appearing unmatched by its rivals, we eagerly await the first use of V-Max mode to be captured on film.

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