The Ford GT is a car that’s been about a bit. Back in the 1960s, the Ford GT40 made massive waves on the racing circuit, being the first car to win Le Mans for an American manufacturer. Then, from 2004-2006, we had the first Ford GT supercar, which came with an array of advances and a massive engine. Since 2016, we’ve also had the new generation of the Ford GT, combining retrofuturistic looks, high power, and breakneck speeds. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the various generations of Ford GTs, and what each one has brought to the world of cars.

Ford GT40

The maestro, the original, and the one that inspired them all, the GT40 is an incredible machine. It arose from a desire of Henry Ford II’s to have a car at the legendary race that is Le Mans. The race had been dominated by European teams, but Ford wanted to change that. The British engineering company Lola were brought in to help create the car as they had already used a Ford V8 in their Lola Mk6.

The chassis was created by Abbey Panels, another English firm, based in Coventry, into which was slotted a 427 ci Galaxie engine. The car combined speed and handling magnificently. Add to this two great drivers in the shape of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, and Ford had their first victory. There were only 105 ever made, but by God, it was a superb racer. The few road models that were produced were the icing on the cake. It gave America a place in the European race circuit, and looked wonderful doing it.

Ford GT (2004-2006)

The Ford GT revival had been in the pipeline for a while. Back in 1995, Ford had shown off the GT90 concept, but it would be nine more years until the revival fully came about. When they finally arrived, they were wonderfully well-realized recreations. Startlingly quick, it was a true American supercar that matched Italian-worthy looks with a 330 ci supercharged V8. The car was built with an aluminum subframe for strength and lightness, and the cockpit was comfy and well designed.

It was when you put the hammer down that the GT came into its own. There’s a good amount of torque, 550 horsepower, and a ridiculous noise.  A high-pitched howl leads into a massive booming note. It’s not all noise and no speed, either. The 0-60 time has been clocked at 3.3 seconds, and the top speed nudges just over 200 mph. The double wishbone suspension is fairly compliant, and it handles, well, like a muscle car. If you want a gas-guzzling muscle car with ridiculous power, here it is.

Ford GT (2016-Present)

The latest iteration of the Ford GT is a slight oddball in the continuum of Ford racers. There isn’t a massive V8. In fact, there’s no V8 at all. The power instead comes from a twin-turbo Ecoboost V6. I’m aware that sounds far from impressive, but it’s not the case. The V6 produces a whopping 647 horsepower, and 550 ft-lbs of torque. I miss the V8 roar, but that’s mighty impressive, and it still sounds cool. Oh, and the 0-60 and top speed? Just 2.9 seconds, and 216 mph, respectively. Not bad.

The cockpit is a tight little space, but it’s made that way for a reason. The whole body is designed to create as little drag as possible, and part of that is having a smaller frontal area. Due to its racing background, there’s also a carbonfiber dash and movable pedals. There’s no carpet either. This is a racer. That’s made even more obvious when you look at the tech in this car. Take the active rear wing as an example, that moves to create downforce or reduce drag, as necessary. Then there’s the suspension: if you want, you can drop the car from 120mm to 70mm ride height in track mode, with the actual drop taking just an instant. It’s an utterly impractical, ridiculous race car that doesn’t have much of a place in the real world. But then again, so was the McLaren F1, so it’s in some superb company. If you want what is essentially a race car in road regalia, get this. It’s amazing stuff.

The Ford GTs are cars that, well, race. That’s what they’re designed to do. The GT from 2006 is by far the most practical in terms of cockpit comfort, and likely the one that’s truest to the GT40. They both pack V8s, and also crucially, look very similar. However, that’s not to speak ill of the most recent GT. It takes the GT heritage and runs with it: it’s ridiculously powerful, and it looks like a race car, inside and out. What’s more, it drives like one. The proof is in the racing however, and one of the latest cars placed as runner up at Le Mans last year. Get a pair of drivers like the ones Ford had in the 60s, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Ford podium in the coming years.