New supercar picks up where Ford GT left off

MONTEREY, Calif. — Over the decades, automakers often have given up prematurely on car models in a way that leaves the world wondering, “What if?”

What if Chevrolet ignored critics and continued to make its rear-engine Corvair in the 1960s? If Volkswagen stayed with the high-priced Phaeton? Or if there was another generation of the breakthrough Dodge Magnum wagon.

Now, when it comes to one of the most important supercars whose life was cut short, Beau Boeckmann is the one not only asking “What if?”, but is supplying the answer.

Boeckmann who runs the performance side of his family’s Galpin Motors in Los Angeles — the nation’s largest Ford dealership — is trying to build interest in an update to the Ford GT. The GT, which looks and performs more like a race car than street car, was only from 2004 to 2006.

It’s being called the Galpin Ford GTR1, and it was shown last week at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, where lots of rich people with the money to support an exciting new car could take a close look.

To skip the GT forward by seven years since it went off sale, Boeckmann has given the car vast new power. The GTR1 would have an engine that is twin-turbocharged to eek out 1,024 horsepower, up from 550 horsepower in the supercharged original. It would have a six-speed manual transmission.

The looks have been thoroughly updated, along with new, stronger brakes.

For Boeckmann, best known as the host of MTV’s old Pimp My Ride series, the GTR1 is a labor of love. “We were trying to update the Ford GT would have evolved into,” he says. “When you absolutely love something, why wouldn’t you want to do it.”

The dream, however, won’t come cheap. A GTR1 will cost more than $1 million.

Source: www.usatoday.com