Ford often says it has no interest chasing records, and that means its top-performing cars aren't often recorded being pushed to the limit. At the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds, however, there's no hesitation, and a 2017 Ford GT recently hit 213 mph on the straight-line course.
The company, located in Florida, is home to tone of he widest and flattest concrete runways in the world, which makes it ideal for high-speed and aerodynamic testing. On March 9, JBRG brought a handful of exotic cars to the runway for testing, and created a series of videos of the runs. The Ford GT was one of those cars. Previously, we saw a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon rocket to 211 mph.
The GT did 2 mph better than the Dodge in its 2.7-mile shot down the runway, touching 213 mph before reaching a safe braking zone. The performance was incredible, to say the least. In just a few seconds, the GT clipped off 60 mph, and in about eight seconds, the driver eclipsed 100 mph. The driver kept the pedal to the floor past 150 mph and 200 mph, and speed built slowly from there.
Ford officially rates the supercar's top speed at 216 mph, which may be possible, but without more runway, it's hard to say.
JBRG prides itself on being an independent place to test manufacturer claims in a safe and professional environment. That leads it to attract some of the hottest cars to see how fast they really are, thanks to the pavement's surface, which is superior to a typical street. It's not dragstrip-prep good, but with its length, width, and minimal elevation variance (only 1/4 inch), it's a safe, controlled environment for top-speed runs.
Check out the Ford GT's amazing run in the video above.