The Ford GT is getting a new instrument panel. Ford Motor Co. engineers and designers have created an innovative, 10-inch instrument display that features text and race-inspired graphics to help increase driver performance without compromising function. The customizable digital instrument display technology will be shared with other Ford vehicles in the future.
“Driver focus and attention are key with such high performance,” says Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer of Ford Performance. “We’ve designed the GT with a sleek digital instrument display that changes depending on (the) driving mode in ways that are important and usable to the driver.”
While the original Ford GT cockpit was hardwired with a fixed set of analog gauges, buttons, and knobs across the dashboard, the new Ford GT Supercar’s digital display automatically reconfigures itself based on five unique drive modes — normal, sport, wet, track, and V-Max — to ensure the driver is getting the most relevant information in an easy-to-read format. The digital gauge cluster promotes safety by providing drivers with information necessary to making critical decisions behind the wheel in the most efficient way.
Most recently, Ford invited 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Scott Maxwell (2000) of Multimatic Motorsports in Toronto to test the technology at the Ford GT simulation lab in Dearborn. The race driver suggested changing the tachometer to provide an expanded view of the EcoBoost V6 redline approach for greater visibility, as well as recommended tweaks to the prioritization of performance information.
