Ford GT: name not down? You're not coming in!
Ford of Britain boss tells us that he's fighting for allocation of the forthcoming GT, but don't expect many
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday? No need!
Let's start with the good news: some will be coming to the UK, and expressions of interest are being received. As of yesterday, that totalled 107. Less good is the fact that only tiny numbers are likely to come here; so if you're name's not down then this is one club that you're unlikely to be allowed into any time soon.
"I'm fighting very hard for allocation," Barratt told us, "when we produced the last GT there was a global run of around 4,000, of those 101 came to Europe and 28 were officially imported into the UK. This run is a lot lower, it's only 250 a year and we haven't declared the absolute run that we'll be doing, but you can imagine that the numbers are going to be a lot lower... Seven per cent of Ford's global sales are in the UK, so my argument is that I should get seven per cent of that."
28 of these officially imported to the UK
Barratt is determined to do all he can to keep speculators away from the car, insisting that the UK allocation will be prioritised towards those who have a history with Ford and who are planning to actually use their cars.
"We're nowhere near allocating cars yet, but when we do we'll definitely look for their history with Ford, whether they've done something with us in the past. Inevitably speculators will try to get onto the list, but we're looking for people who will love and cherish the car, but most of all drive it and enjoy it."
Drink it in - you won't see many!
Maybe he wants potential buyers to prove they are serious by speccing a Mk3 Focus RS and/or Mustang GT as optional extras with their Ford GT purchase?
Ford Gt what??
Struggling to get allocation? They should be doing all they can to fly the flag on a halo product and driving one around in a glass box? The marketing department need to go out for a few more beers.
This could be a very exciting product, but they are going to have to give Chris Harris an entire lorry load of tyres to get the right levels of attention.
I have higher hopes for the Mustang but even higher hopes for the Focus RS.
Ford GT? Yeah ok.
Focus RS with All Wheel Drive that will be absolutely spanked on the streets of Essex in the real world - now we're talking the stuff of memories.
Ford Gt what??
Struggling to get allocation? They should be doing all they can to fly the flag on a halo product and driving one around in a glass box? The marketing department need to go out for a few more beers.
This could be a very exciting product, but they are going to have to give Chris Harris an entire lorry load of tyres to get the right levels of attention.
I have higher hopes for the Mustang but even higher hopes for the Focus RS.
Ford GT? Yeah ok.
Focus RS with All Wheel Drive that will be absolutely spanked on the streets of Essex in the real world - now we're talking the stuff of memories.
Chris Harris declared the Alfa 4C inferior to the Cayman. The trouble with the obvious cars is that some people absolutely detest looking and feeling like they just bought what someone else told them to. Has Chris Harris' verdict hurt 4C residuals? Not a jot. Porsches are like whitegoods by comparison to a car that requires genuine passion to buy.
The last Ford GT is worth more now than a new 458 costs. This GT will appeal to wealthy individuals who simply don't care what you think and want the car because it's not a Ferrari.
Renault Spyder Sport is one example. BMW Z1 is probably another. Also DeLorean. Maybe even Lotus Elan M100.
Obviously this phenomenon doesn't apply if the car was an ownership disaster. I'm struggling for examples but imagine the Jensen Healey would fit this category. Let's stick Panther Solo in there as well.
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