Ford Versus Ferrari: Before the Motion Picture
Ford and Ferrari have been compared for years, starting with the LeMans race that led to the movie.
Prior to the release of the 2019 movie Ford V Ferrari, many average Americans would have laughed at a comparison between the two brands. Ford is a volume brand with a history of mixing-in some legendary performance cars while Ferrari is one of the world’s best-known producers of high performance road cars and race cars. However, Matt Damon and Christian Bale reminded the world that these two automakers have battled in the racing world since the 1960s.
The Legendary Battle
While the average American movie-goer may have been surprised to learn that Ford and Ferrari are long-time rivals in the world of motorsports, this is no surprise to sports car history buffs. While the GT40 was the first Ford to knock Ferrari off of their pedestal at LeMans in 1966, the Motor Company has reincarnated their historic supercar program two other times. The first covered the 2005 and 2006 model years and the second is ongoing, having been introduced for 2017. Like the GT40, the 2005-2006 and 2017-current GT have been compared favorably to Ferrari models, and not just in the racing world.
Back in 2013, years before Damon and Bale would remind the world of the 1966 LeMans battle between Ford and Ferrari, “Bonehead” put together a quick comparison-in-photos of his Ford GT and a few Ferraris at a local show. Almost seven years later, this timeless comparison is no less interesting than it was back then, even without the influence of the movie.
Ford V Ferrari Introduction
When the OP first shared his pictures with the forum of his Ford GT parked among several Ferraris at a car show in California, he provided the following basic input.
Ok, it’s a Challenge Stradale and not a garden variety 360, but this would have been more of a fair fight. Throw in an F430 and an R8 V10 for good measure.
These cars were new around the same time, so this would have been a valid head-to-head comparison when they were first reaching customers and in this case, the Ford would have had the advantage in most races.
The 360 Challenge Stradale weighs about 3,150 pounds, packs a combination of 419 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to dash from a stop to 60 in four seconds while reaching a top speed of 176 miles per hour, or 190 without the rear spoiler. The GF weighs about 3,500 pounds, but it has 550 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to be both quicker and faster than the 360 Stradale.
Next to the 360 Stradale is an F430, which would have been the direct model year competitor for the Ford GT in 2005 and 2006. With 483 horsepower and 343 lb-ft of torque, this model would have stood a better chance against the GT, offering similar acceleration and top speed numbers.
We have included a few of the pictures of this Ford-Ferrari-Ferrari car show lineup from the thread, but for a closer look at the whole spread, click here to check out the original post.
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