Intrepid Jalopnik reader Chris came across something very unusual on Ford's Facebook page this afternoon — a car that, at first glance, looked like it could be the race-ready, Le Mans-going version of the Ford GT. I think it's a weird-ass Photoshop. The question is, why?
I'll admit I was perplexed when Chris sent this photo too. It's all but certain that the new Ford GT will race in the World Endurance Championship next year, so everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what the actual race car version will like. You can see why a photo of a Ford GT with fat tires and a giant wing — on Ford's official Facebook page, no less — would get us excited. It links to a Car and Driver Q&A with Ford GT Chief Engineer Kip Ewing.
But when you actually look at the photo for a while, you can tell it's a little off. Those don't look like racing tires at all; they're more like all-seasons. That wing is so oddly placed, and it has this Escher painting-esque way of fitting in with the actual body panels. It also casts no shadow over the rest of the car.
Further, the photo is basically identical to this Ford stock photo of the GT's rear end, just with some color retouching. But the biggest smoking gun is what happens when I did a Google image search of the pic, to make sure it wasn't something that's shown up elsewhere. What that reveals is this stock photograph.
Yup, it's the rain-soaked street, just without the car.
I've reached out to Ford to make sure, but I'm like 99 percent sure this is just some weird illustration, not the actual Le Mans car. I think we're going to have to wait a little longer for that to show up. So why is it on Ford's Facebook page? I'm guessing it was just put up by mistake, and mistakes happen, so it's not a huge deal. It's just odd, is all.
Or maybe it's something else entirely. Any guesses?
Update: Well, that didn't take long. Ford just confirmed the image was made by a fan, and is not an actual render. It's about as real as that 2016 Bronco that won't die.