Introduction to How the Ford Shelby GR-1 Works
It was 1962 when former race car driver Carroll Shelby first dropped an American Ford V8 engine into a lightweight European car, creating the first Shelby Cobra. More than 40 years later, Shelby and Ford have joined forces once again to create the Ford Shelby GR-1.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company Ford Shelby GR-1. See more pictures of sports cars. |
Based on the chassis and suspension of the production Ford GT, the GR-1 (Group Racing 1) is a visual throwback to the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, but it packs a modern punch with more than 600 horsepower.
In this article, we'll look beneath the GR-1's gleaming aluminum body, learn why Carroll Shelby makes some of the best cars in the world and find out if Ford could actually make a production GR-1 available to the public.
A Nod to the Past
In 2004, Ford unveiled the Ford Shelby Cobra concept car, a futuristic, minimalist roadster that followed the Shelby formula -- put a big engine in a small, lightweight car. A year later, Ford unveiled the Shelby GR-1.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
A distinctive aluminum body covers the GR-1's smooth, aggressive shape. The design is very reminiscent of the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, a car Shelby designed as a faster, more aerodynamic version of his already successful Cobra roadsters.
Ford was able to create a working prototype of the GR-1 in a short amount of time because it is based on the chassis of the Ford GT. The suspension, steering and braking systems also come straight from the GT. In fact, it took only six months from the initial design sketch to the unveiling of a mockup with a fiberglass body, and it was just a few more months until they had a fully operational prototype. That commonality of parts also means there's a decent chance the GR-1 could become a production model.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
Next, we'll see how the GR-1 was designed and created.
Under the Hood
The GR-1 has much more than nostalgia and a pretty face going for it. An aluminum-block, 6.4-liter V10 engine is under the hood, cranking out 605 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 501 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. That's enough power to hit 60 mph in under four seconds. Plus, the GR-1 accomplishes all this without turbocharging or supercharging.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
The engine isn't mounted behind the driver's head the way it is in many high-performance cars. This is a more traditional front-engine design, created in part to fit the designer's idea for the car's shape. The transmission, a six-speed transaxle, is mounted in the rear to provide better weight distribution. This is another piece lifted directly from the GT.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company Six-speed manual transmission |
The GR-1 also features a limited-slip differential and rear-wheel drive. An electronic limiter keeps the vehicle's top speed well under 200 mph -- a speed it could easily top if left unrestrained.
Specifications
- Engine: 6.4-liter V10 aluminum block engine w/ dry sump
- Horsepower: 605 hp at 6,750 rpm
- Torque: 501 ft-lbs torque at 5,550 rpm
- Transmission: Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle
- Brakes: Brembo discs with four-piston monoblock calipers (14-inch front, 13.2-inch rear)
- Tires: Front: 275/40R-19 Goodyear Tire IQ; Rear: 345/35R-19 Goodyear Tire IQ
- Suspension, front and rear: Unequal A-Arms, control arms, coil springs, monotube dampers, anti-roll bar
- Curb weight: 3,900 pounds (1,770 kg)
- Length: 173.7 inches (441.3 cm)
- Width: 74.6 inches (183.4 cm)
- Height: 46.0 inches (116.8 cm)
- Wheelbase: 100 inches (254 cm)
Interior Design
Climbing into the GR-1 through the forward-and-upward swinging butterfly doors, the interior reveals a race-ready design.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
The seats are carbon shells equipped with racing-style harnesses. All the instruments in the panel behind the steering wheel are analogue, a sign of the GR-1's 1960s heritage.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
A digital speedometer reveals the car's modern pedigree, however, and a closer look shows there is plenty of gadgetry in the dash. The stereo can play MP3s and can record and playback, ostensibly so drivers can record notes about the track while they take practice laps. Noise-dampening frequencies give the GR-1 a quiet street ride.
Mounted in the center of the dash is the Tire IQ display. Sensors in the tires and a built-in accelerometer measure tire temperature and pressure, as well as cornering and braking g-forces, all of which is relayed to the driver and passenger in real-time.
Creating the GR-1
In many cases, cars are designed starting with the frame or the engine, and once the internal components are completed, the body is shaped around it. This is one reason so many of today's supercars look similar -- they tend to conform to the body shape required of a mid-engine-design, aerodynamically stable vehicle.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
The Ford Shelby GR-1 is a supercar in a league of its own. The design for the car started with a single sketch by Ford designer George Saridakis. "George produced this completely resolved sketch, the best I've seen in 10 years," said J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice president of design. "This is a designer so masterful at visualizing every aspect of the car and its story that it literally flowed out of his pen." Ford also sidestepped another common aspect of supercar design -- high-technology. Yes, the GR-1 is modern, but it doesn't incorporate any experimental technologies in the mechanical systems. Instead, the car relies on Shelby's simpler vision of high-performance: putting a lot of high-quality parts in a well-designed car. It's still incredibly sophisticated and advanced, but with so much of the car coming from the Ford GT, the designers didn't have to go out on any limbs for the GR-1.
Like all concept cars, the GR-1's main goal in life is to lend prestige to the manufacturer. However, if the GR-1 goes into production, it could have a much livelier future. GR-1 stands for Group Racing 1, and that harkens back to the great Shelby cars of the 1960s, which dominated the American road racing circuit and gave Ferrari a serious challenge in the European series. It's possible we could see a GR-1 tearing up the Daytona track in the next few years.
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In 1960, Shelby began to experience heart problems that eventually led to his retirement from racing later that year. In 1962, Shelby put a Ford engine in a roadster built by AC Cars of England. The name for that first car, the Cobra, came to him in a dream. Cobras would soon be winning races and championships in a variety of racing divisions around the world. In 1964, Shelby developed the Ford Mustang into an awe-inspiring racing machine, and the Ford-Shelby collaboration was solidified. |
Production Possibilities
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the Chili? |
Finally, there are rumors that the GT, currently the jewel in Ford's high-performance crown, could be taken out of production in 2007. As Autoweek points out, that gives Ford plenty of time to bring the GR-1 down the production pipeline, thus maintaining their presence in the world of high-performance cars.
 Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company |
For more information on the Ford GR-1 and other concept cars, check out the links on the next page.
Lots More Information
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More Great Links
- Ford: Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept Represents a New Direction for Ford Performance Cars
- Put up or shut up: Ford unveils the Shelby GR-1 coupe, and we say, 'build it!'
- The Official Carroll Shelby Website
- MaryMc's Cooking Stuff: Carroll Shelby's Chili
- Supercars.net: Compare v2.0 - allows you to view and compare up to 10 cars on one page
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