Ford GT used NSX-R as a benchmark for shifter feel

Not sure if this has been posted before.

Was watching this video about the GT and GT40 and came across a part that mentions that the NSX-R was used as a benchmark for shifter feel for the Ford GT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VSyO7PciLM&feature=channel

relevant section is 3:00 to 3:18

Ed

Never driven a NSX-R, but I can tell you that the shift in my GT feels nothing like the NSX, both have the "short shift" kits on them, one has reverse up to the left, the other doesn't (guess which is which and where). The GT is surprisingly easy and smooth, not as smooth and easy as the NSX, the R, I have no basis to compare!

As a Ford designer I've heard this straight from a few guys at Ford including Camilo Pardo who commented that he got to drive an NSX for a while while working on the GT program.
However, none ever said it was a Type R. I know the one they had around here was certainly not an R. Is there really a difference in the shifter feel on a Type R?

I think what the guy in the video meant when he said "shifter feel" was actually "the shift knob feel". Notice the GT40 uses the same fonts in the gauges and shifter as the NSX. All this time I felt the fonts in the gauges looked kind of old to me. I guess Ford didn't think so.

The Gt is the only car I'd trade my NSX (plus about $100 G's) for. I think it's because the GT is the first car that I ever wanted so bad it hurt. Now, older and more mature, I still want one, but it no longer hurts.
Happy Motoring!

AdvansCPAP.com said:

I think what the guy in the video meant when he said "shifter feel" was actually "the shift knob feel". Notice the GT40 uses the same fonts in the gauges and shifter as the NSX. All this time I felt the fonts in the gauges looked kind of old to me. I guess Ford didn't think so.

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My friend is a Ford engineer who worked on Project GT. He told me a few years back that they did benchmark the NSX's transmission feel (linkage, throw, resistance, etc...) when developing the Ford GT. Whether you agree that the shifter linkage and feel is similar to the NSX or not, they did use the NSX as the benchmark.

BTW a 1:37.0 at WSIR is SLOW in a stock Ford GT. I'm pretty confident I will beat that time in my personal full interior NSX (KW V3s, Headers, 235/275 Street tires, stock seats, and full touch-screen nav and subwoofer). I should be at WSIR two weeks from Friday so we will see

A 1:31.57 at SOW is also very slow. My NSX should run 1:25-1:27s depending on if they used the blowpass config or not - still well beating his time in the GT.

I'm sure he wasn't familiar with the track and i'm not sure how much time he had on either track but I think he was way conservative and slow in the car which makes the laptimes irrelevant. On both tracks he downshifted when he should have left it in a higher gear and overslowed a lot of corners, as well as driving under the car/tire's limit. I also didn't agree with too much he said in regards to feedback on the GT, but that's subjective as well.



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stuntman said:

BTW a 1:37.0 at WSIR is SLOW in a stock Ford GT. I'm pretty confident I will beat that time in my personal full interior NSX (KW V3s, Headers, 235/275 Street tires, stock seats, and full touch-screen nav and subwoofer). I should be at WSIR two weeks from Friday so we will see

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That's what I love about this site. :biggrin:

stuntman said:

I'm sure he wasn't familiar with the track and i'm not sure how much time he had on either track but I think he was way conservative and slow in the car which makes the laptimes irrelevant. On both tracks he downshifted when he should have left it in a higher gear and overslowed a lot of corners, as well as driving under the car/tire's limit. I also didn't agree with too much he said in regards to feedback on the GT, but that's subjective as well. 0.02

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I'm not sure why Ford would bring in a Japanese driver to prove an American car was as good or better that Japanese/foriegn cars . The GT had already won races against them all. Maybe I'm too cynical?
Happy Motoring!

For the same reason that Gordon Murray was daily driving an NSX while designing the Mclaren F1. Reason, to make sure he got the driving feeling right in the F1. Nothing else provided the feel that honda achieved with the NSX; I was astounded when I read this in "Driving Ambition", the book on the design build of the Mclaren F1. A great read.

Maybe you are a cynic, I'm trying to remember when the last ford powered car finished on the podium in F1... it was such long time ago.:tongue:

NSX is the bible of supercars.......