May 8, 2019, 10:47 AM by Michael Garland

2019 is a year for the ages at the Carlisle Ford Nationals presented by Meguiar’s (May 31-June 2 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds).  Not only will Ford spotlight some of its newest products at the event, it’ll surround itself by some of the best pieces of work from its storied history of production.  Some of the new include the GT500 and 2.3L High Performance Package Mustang, Roush Stage 3 Mustang and Roush F-150 and guests might even see the latest production model Ford GT.  One thing is for sure, the GT will turn heads, as well as the like branded supercars that flank it.  One such car is only one of two of its type AND it’s being shown for the first-time EVER in the United States next to the #60 Matech Ford GT1 Race Car.

Carlisle Events is proud to announce that guests can see first-hand, the 2009 Matech Ford GT Prototype GT1 race car.  As noted above, this car has NEVER been on display in the United States at ANY car show and during Ford weekend, that WILL happen for the first-time.  This particular car is one of only two prototype Matech Ford GT1 race cars in the world and it was built by Matech Competition which was a Swiss racing team. 

It doesn’t just look sleek, it went fast, having competed in select races in the FIA GT Championship Series in 2009 as a Prototype GT1.  The Matech team saw success with this car in its races and it helped them better learn how to improve other competition cars, specifically in the aerodynamics department.

In 2010 when Matech launched the new GT1 race car they nailed the aero tweaks thanks to Ford’s factory support which allowed the team to test the new cars in their wind tunnel to concentrate on the most efficient and effective aerodynamics of their new cars.  The support from Ford really helped Matech dial in their GT1 effort in order to get the best vehicle possible for their Le Mans efforts.

The prototype making its U.S. car show debut at the Carlisle Ford Nationals will be joined by one of the aforementioned 2010-2012 competition cars.  The #60 was a front-runner at Le Mans throughout most of the race before being rear ended and disabled from the race.  Repaired and stateside since 2014, the 50,000+ showgoers at Carlisle will see these two cars, plus a handful more as part of a special Ford GT display.  In addition, the GT’s (not all of them) will put in some hot laps on the Gateway Classic Mustang Autocross course starting at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1.

Ford weekend is an annual history-making event and with this new addition, it’s a must-do for anyone with a pulse.  Complete event information, including links to buy tickets or register for the National Parts Depot Showfield are available at www.CarlisleEvents.com or by calling 717-243-7855.