Booted From Ford, Raj Nair Shows Up at Ford GT Builder Multimatic

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Raj Nair, former executive vice-president of Ford Motor Company and head of its North American region, has joined the company that built his car.

Nair took delivery of a Ford GT — a vehicle he helped develop during his time as product development boss and chief technical officer — shortly before his sudden and murky February exit from the company. Well, he’s now president and CEO of Multimatic Motorsports, Canadian builder of the GT.

Road & Track broke the news on Friday, with Multimatic marketing vice-president Michael Guttilla telling the publication, “Raj brings extensive knowledge, perspective and skills in engineering, manufacturing, management and overall auto industry experience to Multimatic. These qualities will help Multimatic attain another level of performance for our customers.”

“The addition of Raj to our leadership team was about making a great company even better. His skill-set is perfectly aligned with Multimatic’s core competencies and purpose,” Guttilla added.

Nair was appointed to the top position on May 7th. It seems Nair himself spilled the beans before anyone else, announcing his new role in a post at FordGTForum.com.

The executive’s departure from Ford came after an internal investigation revealed “inappropriate behaviour” on the part former former exec. A tip sent to the company from a single employee sparked the investigation. Ford claimed Nair’s behaviour was “inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct,” though details of whatever sparked his ouster never surfaced.

Multimatic, based in Markham, Ontario, is neck-deep in motorsports. Besides its expertise in car design and track support, the company engineers endurance racing components like its DSSV spool-valve dampers. That’s in addition to its contract to build EcoBoost-powered Ford supercars.

Shortly after turning away a stampede of buyers for its limited-edition 2017-2018 Ford GT, Multimatic announced a two-year extension of GT production, with those left on the waiting list now first in line.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Bkojote Allright, actual person who knows trucks here, the article gets it a bit wrong.First off, the Maverick is not at all comparable to a Tacoma just because they're both Hybrids. Or lemme be blunt, the butch-est non-hybrid Maverick Tremor is suitable for 2/10 difficulty trails, a Trailhunter is for about 5/10 or maybe 6/10, just about the upper end of any stock vehicle you're buying from the factory. Aside from a Sasquatch Bronco or Rubicon Jeep Wrangler you're looking at something you're towing back if you want more capability (or perhaps something you /wish/ you were towing back.)Now, where the real world difference should play out is on the trail, where a lot of low speed crawling usually saps efficiency, especially when loaded to the gills. Real world MPG from a 4Runner is about 12-13mpg, So if this loaded-with-overlander-catalog Trailhunter is still pulling in the 20's - or even 18-19, that's a massive improvement.
  • Lou_BC "That’s expensive for a midsize pickup" All of the "offroad" midsize trucks fall in that 65k USD range. The ZR2 is probably the cheapest ( without Bison option).
  • Lou_BC There are a few in my town. They come out on sunny days. I'd rather spend $29k on a square body Chevy
  • Lou_BC I had a 2010 Ford F150 and 2010 Toyota Sienna. The F150 went through 3 sets of brakes and Sienna 2 sets. Similar mileage and 10 year span.4 sets tires on F150. Truck needed a set of rear shocks and front axle seals. The solenoid in the T-case was replaced under warranty. I replaced a "blend door motor" on heater. Sienna needed a water pump and heater blower both on warranty. One TSB then recall on spare tire cable. Has a limp mode due to an engine sensor failure. At 11 years old I had to replace clutch pack in rear diff F150. My ZR2 diesel at 55,000 km. Needs new tires. Duratrac's worn and chewed up. Needed front end alignment (1st time ever on any truck I've owned).Rear brakes worn out. Left pads were to metal. Chevy rear brakes don't like offroad. Weird "inside out" dents in a few spots rear fenders. Typically GM can't really build an offroad truck issue. They won't warranty. Has fender-well liners. Tore off one rear shock protector. Was cheaper to order from GM warehouse through parts supplier than through Chevy dealer. Lots of squeaks and rattles. Infotainment has crashed a few times. Seat heater modual was on recall. One of those post sale retrofit.Local dealer is horrific. If my son can't service or repair it, I'll drive 120 km to the next town. 1st and last Chevy. Love the drivetrain and suspension. Fit and finish mediocre. Dealer sucks.
  • MaintenanceCosts You expect everything on Amazon and eBay to be fake, but it's a shame to see fake stuff on Summit Racing. Glad they pulled it.
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