All-new Ford GT gets a 10.0-inch digital instrument display “previewing the future of Ford vehicles”.

NEW FORD GT GETS a 10.0-inch digital instrument display which Ford says previews the future of Ford vehicles. It’s a far cry from the instrument display in the original GT.

“Driver focus and attention are key with such high performance,” said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer, Ford Performance. “We’ve designed the GT with a sleek digital instrument display that changes depending on driving mode in ways that are important and usable to the driver.”

When Ford was developing the display, it called on Le Mans winner Scott Maxwell to provide feedback who recommended the prioritization of “performance information” and that the tachometer display should be tweaked to show the approaching redline in an expanded view.

There are five display modes:

• Normal mode shows the speedometer centered and bold, gear selection is to the right, fuel and temperature are top left. The hockey-stick-shaped tachometer displays in a compressed scale for lower rpm, the 3000-to-7000-rpm range dominates the top of the display;
• Wet mode carries much of the same information as normal mode, using a blue theme and a “wet floor” concept. Graphics under the speedometer emulate the shine of wet asphalt to remind the driver of the mode selection;
• Sport mode shows gear selection, with the speedometer off to the right and less prominent. It’s displayed in an orange theme and is the “preferred mode for most test drivers”;
• Track mode presents a stark combination of black background and text and graphics, in a crisp, red theme. Gear selection and engine speed are displayed prominently, while coolant temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature and fuel level – rendered as a percentage rather than miles to empty – are bottom right; and
• V-Max is specifically tailored to chasing top speed, it displays a large, centered speedometer, with tachometer reduced to just a line with indicator dot for minimal distraction. Coolant temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature and turbocharger boost are displayed to the right, with fuel level displayed top left.

“We spent an enormous amount of time getting this just right,” says Nick Terzes, Ford GT engineering supervisor. “The result is simple, but achieving simple perfectly can be a challenge.”