Ford vs Ferrari, 1980s edition: the supercar sequel that almost happened

In the 1980s, Ford developed a secret supercar with Ferrari performance for a Corvette price. Then, it killed it at the very last minute.

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Ford began the decade with a mission to rebuild its reputation for performance. Its newly-created Special Vehicle Operations division was messing around with the Fox body Mustang when executives hatched a plan in 1983: Ford should build a new mid-engine supercar to stick it to Ferrari like the GT40 did in 1966. Codename: GN34

The SVO team contacted Yamaha to build a new hi-po engine, and it returned the iconic SHO V6. Next, Ford linked up with legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to create a beautiful wedge-shaped body. After a lot of back and forth, it set up a track test with a GN34 mechanical prototype, a Ferrari 308, a Porsche 944, a C4 Corvette, and none other than F1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart to wring them out.

Amazingly, despite being a rough prototype, the Ford was the clear winner. The design was further refined through focus groups and production plans in Europe were finalized. It looked like a home run. But at the very last minute, the whole thing was canceled when exchange rates shifted and made building the GN34 overseas too expensive.

Instead, its budget was reallocated to develop a four-door version of the Ford Bronco… which became the first Ford Explorer, which pretty much changed the car market forever. But at least enthusiasts got something out of it: that Yamaha-tuned SHO V6, which finally found a home in the Ford Taurus SHO, one of the best factory-built sleepers ever made.

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