Over a month after the first production cars rolled off the line, Ford has finally revealed just how fast the new Ford GT is. The answer, somewhat predictably, is very.

We now know that the GT’s 3.5-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 makes a whopping 638bhp at 6,250rpm, and 550lb ft at 5900rpm. Not quite as powerful, nor as torquey, as a Ferrari 488GTB (661bhp, 560lb ft) but close. Really close. A dry weight of 1,385kg puts it within 15kg of the 1,370kg Ferrari, while its top speed of 216mph is a fair bit faster than the Ferrari’s 205mph.

Around Calabogie Motorsports Park, a three-mile track not far from Ottawa, Canada (us neither), Ford claims the GT is a second quicker than the McLaren 675LT (one of the GT’s “primary competitors”, says Ford, alongside the 488) and some three seconds quicker than the mighty Ferrari 458 Speciale. No 0-62mph time yet, but if both the 488 and 675 do it in three or so seconds, we can expect similar from the GT.

If you want to nerd out and look at the full spec sheet, go right ahead. And keep your eyes peeled for our incredibly in-depth look at the GT from this month’s Top Gear magazine, which is set to hit TG.com in the coming days.

In the meantime, amuse yourself by watching the GT enter into ‘Race Mode’ time and time again…

Ford confirms US-only, track-orientated version of its 647bhp supercar

Last month, the Ford GT won the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona. To commemorate this win - and its racing heritage - Ford has announced a run of lightweight, special edition Ford GTs. Meet the Ford GT Competition Series.

First things first, there isn’t a power increase, but 647bhp from the car’s 3.5-litre turbo V6 - complete with a 216mph top speed - should be plenty for your track needs. What this GT gets instead is a Perspex acrylic engine cover and a carbonfibre prop rod that, says Ford, helps reduce weight near the roof and pushes the balance of weight lower down in the car.

The glass behind the driver too is said to be half as thick and half as light as on the ‘regular’ Ford GT models. As any self-respecting, track-focused lightweight commands, the air conditioning, radio, speakers, storage bins and cupholders have also been removed to save weight.

You also get carbonfibre wheels with titanium nuts and a titanium exhaust. Furthermore, there is a carbonfibre stripe, and exposed carbonfibre lower body trim in a gloss finish.

In fact, there’s quite a bit of carbonfibre dotted around the cabin, too, including on the centre console and door sills. There’s a little plate that covers off the non-existent infotainment stuff, while you also get Alcantara on the seats, instrument panel and headlining.

You want colours? You can’t handle the colours. There are six - black, white, silver, blue, grey and ‘Triple’ yellow, and you’ll be able to see the car in full at this weekend’s Daytona 500 race.

All in, we’re not told just how much lighter this Competition Series GT is over the regular Ford GT, but for your reference, that latter car clocks in at 1,385kg dry (just 15kg off the Ferrari 488’s 1,370kg). So we’d suspect these tweaks would make slightly better use of the GT’s aforementioned 647bhp and 550lb ft of torque.

“The Ford GT has racing in its blood,” explains Ford executive vice president Raj Nair. “The Competition Series was developed with the most hardcore track enthusiasts in mind, providing a tailored set of lightweight features and unique livery to match.”

It’s a US-only limited series, mind, though will be available throughout the GT’s production run. Fancy one?