If you haven't heard of Galpin Auto Sports before don't worry, you're not the only one. They're actually a popular Southern California speed shop connected to dealer Galpin Ford, which was actually one of the first dealerships to sell the Shelby Cobra back in the day and is now apparently the largest volume Ford dealer in the world. That's quite an achievement, but they've gotten even more ambitious and set about building their own car, based on Ford components of course.
Called the Galpin Ford GTR1, the creation was finally unveiled on the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach. Galpin claims it is "a vision of what the Ford GT may have looked and performed like today had Ford continued its evolution." There certainly is Ford GT-inspiration from front to back, but most would probably agree that the classic shape of the original car is more pleasing to the eye. The GTR1 still very much looks like a concept car, and in fact it bears a very striking resemblance to the similarly named $2.2 million Ford Shelby GR-1 concept car from way back in 2005. The shockingly blue interior wasn't doing the show car any favors, either. Originality, fit and finish, then, are not the GTR1's strong suits, but this is Galpin's first car after all so it might be worth cutting them a break.
What the car lacks in appearance it makes up for in power and exclusivity. The 5.4 liter V-8 is said to make 1,024 horsepower and 739 lb/ft of torque. Pump 100-octane fuel into the tank and those figures are raised to 1,197 horsepower and 887 lb/ft of torque. Top speed is claimed to be over 225 miles per hour and when it's time to slow down there are ample carbon ceramic brakes. Customers get a choice of either a carbon fiber bodyshell or an aluminum one, and while opting for the latter option would theoretically save money, it's hard to see what the point of that would be. Price for the carbon-bodied car is quoted as $1,024,000, and Galpin claims they won't build more than 24 examples.
Let's hope they can even sell 24, because that hefty price tag puts it in range of big guns like the LaFerrari, Porsche 918 and McLaren P1. The GTR1 still has power figures that can't be ignored, however, so it will be interesting to see if it's a more well-sorted performer than its styling would suggest. Whatever happens, it's an admirably bold move from Galpin Auto Sports. With cars like the old Ford GT and the Saleen S7 no longer around, Galpin's taken the plunge and opted to represent America in the mid-engined hypercar world. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but the GTR1 is still one of the wildest things to come out of the United States in quite some time.
