Ford GT

Ford GT is powered by Romeo Engine

Ford's hot new supercar, the Ford GT, is assembled at the Wixom, Michigan Assembly Plant – home of the Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln LS and Lincoln Town Car. The Ford GT's powertrain, a supercharged MOD 5.4-liter DOHC V-8, is beingbuilt at the nearby Romeo Engine Plant.

"Wixom assembly has a reputation for building award-winning vehicles such as the Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln LS and Town Car," said Anne Stevens, vice president, North America Vehicle Operations. "Adding the legendary Ford GT is a tribute to Wixom's talented and quality conscious workforce."

"Romeo Engine is among Ford's best production facilities producing some of the finest high-performance V-8 engines in the world," said Dave Szczupak, vice president, Powertrain Operations. "Romeo's outstanding workforce is sure to deliver the power behind Ford GT."

As a tribute to Ford's famous 1, 2, 3 finish at Le Mans in 1966, the first three vehicles were produced to help commemorate Ford's centennial celebration in June 2003. Full production will begin in Spring 2004. Initial plans wereto build about 1,000 units a year, but the first year figure has been revised down to 800 GTs.

Because of the Ford GT's low volume requirements and unique modular aluminum body construction, the Ford GT assmbly begins at Novi, MI with final work at Wixom's prototype build center located on the grounds of Wixom Assembly. It is not integrated into the assembly line process at the plant.

Wixom Assembly, which first opened in 1957, employs about 2,650 hourly employees and produces about 130,000 vehicles a year. The plant produced its first Ford Thunderbird in 1958. Since it began operation the plant has produced more than six million vehicles. Wixom Assembly was the first North American car assembly plant to win Ford's Q1 award in 1991.

The Romeo Engine Plant produces 22 variations of Ford's 4.6-liter and 5.4-liter single- and dual–overhead-cam V-8 engines. Products powered by the V-8 include: Ford Mustang, Crown Victoria, F-150, Expedition, Econoline, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Navigator.

Romeo Engine Plant was awarded the prestigious 2002 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing based on its outstanding achievements in lean manufacturing. Romeo has about 1,600 hourly employees, who produce an average of 3,200 engines a day and nearly 700,000 a year.  Watch a Ford GT prototype assembled in seconds