2017 Ford GT to come with Gorilla Glass windscreens

No longer limited to just smartphones, the all-new Ford GT is set to receive a new windscreen made from Gorilla Glass. Officially called Corning Gorilla Glass hybrid windscreen, it’s 30% lighter than traditional glass, scratch-resistant, durable and not to mention tough. The material – jointly developed by the Blue Oval and Corning – is also applied to the rear engine cover.

The new hybrid glass uses a multilayer approach. The inner layer consists of a toughened automotive-grade formed hybrid pane; in the centre is a noise-absorbing thermoplastic interlayer, while the outer layer is regular annealed glass. According to Ford, the Gorilla Glass hybrid window is about 25% to 50% lighter and has equal or greater strength than traditional laminated glass.

While traditional laminated glass is 4-6 mm thick, the innovative Gorilla Glass hybrid window has a thickness of just 3-4 mm. The thinner properties allows for substantial weight reduction of each panel. In addition to that, it’s tough as well, thanks to a mix of processes including contaminant reduction, chemical strengthening, unique edge treatment and laminate construction.

As you can see in the video, the glass was put through endurance tests, which also include stone and rough road conditions. In addition to that, the glass had to withstand specific projectiles, rollover and wind tunnel tests. Ford says that this tough, lightweight glass might be introduced to other vehicles in the near future.

Furthermore, a unique glass combination is used for the bulkhead panel between the passenger cell and engine bay. Together, the windscreen, rear engine cover and the bulkhead glass contribute to better fuel economy, acceleration, braking performance, while handling also benefits greatly from this.

“During development, we tried different glass variations before we found a combination that provided both weight savings and the durability needed for exterior automotive glass,” said Ford body exteriors engineer Paul Linden. “We learned, somewhat counterintuitively, that the strengthened interior layer of the windshield is key to the success of the hybrid window.”

The renewed Ford GT is a lightweight supercar, thanks to extensive use of carbon-fibre material. In the back of the rear-wheel drive, two-door coupe sits a 3.5 litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, which is claimed be able to churn out over 600 hp, it is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. While production is slated for late 2016, Ford has already indicated its return to Le Mans with the supercar.

GALLERY: Ford GT in Geneva

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