Tuesday 9th December 2014

Ford GT: Spotted

The bonafide supercar with a Ford badge. Now to make the case against a Ferrari...

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With so much discussion recently on supercars becoming too easy, too accommodating and just generally a bit soft, it's amazing that the Ford GT hasn't come up in discussion more.

Traction control? Right foot

It's a mid-engined, manual, 200mph V8 supercar without traction control. Come on! Yet when was the last time anyone considered a GT as a lottery win car? The praise was universal when the car was launched and yet I would wager it doesn't get discussed as regularly as contemporaries like the first Lamborghini Gallardo (and Murcielago for that matter), Pagani Zonda and whichever mid-engined Ferrari you care to mention. That's odd.

There are points that will inevitably count against it in supercar showing-off competition. The engine that's similar to one used in a pick-up for a start. And that badge, of course. But for thrills, speed and outright excitement the GT is, by all accounts, right up there with the best of them. It's even got silly doors, which every supercar absolutely must have

Does the whole Clarkson ownership saga put people off over here? It must be a factor, surely. Left-hand drive probably counts against it as well, particularly with something so wide. However, left-hand drive is arguably less of a problem if you do want a GT because, well, they're all like that sir. There were only 101 cars for Europe but there are thousands in the US, which is where this car is from. As a 2006 car imported in 2008 with 14,000 miles you would assume most of the miles have been covered over here.

LHD only in case it's not intimidating enough

That simple engine does have quite a few benefits as well. It doesn't have to be serviced every time the month has more than 28 days for a start; every year or five thousand miles according to Mountune. And it's very tuneable too if 550hp isn't enough. This car is at 620hp already with a Roush supercharger pulley and it can go further if required. The noise as standard certainly doesn't sound like any commercial vehicle we are familiar with.

Despite the amount of GTs in America, numbers in the UK are still very small. HowManyLeft has 55 registered in Britain so a few certainly have been imported from the US to bolster the 28 originally allocated. What do you compare it to at just under £200K? It's rarer than the cars it was priced against originally but not quite in the Porsche Carrera GT league of hypercar royalty. But you would have one over a Mercedes SLR McLaren, surely?

It will interesting to see where GT values go in the immediate future, if its old-school simplicity sees a rise or if the badge and drivetrain render it not exotic enough to some. There are rumours of another comeback to mark 50 years since the GT40 first won at Le Mans so let's see if that develops. Ford v. Ferrari once more? Let's go!

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FORD GT
Engine: 5,409cc V8, supercharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@6,500rpm (standard)
Torque (lb ft): 500@3,750rpm
MPG: 19 (EPA combined figure of 16 in UK gallons)
CO2: Many
First registered: 2008 in the UK, 2006 in US
Recorded mileage: 13,900
Price new: £120,000
Yours for: £189,000

See the original advert here.

[Source: HowManyLeft]

[andrew]

that car looks well dodgy to me

[andrew]

AndrewD said:

The car in the article is mine.

It is absolutely fantastic and a real wrench to sell it but I just bought a Carrera GT and I think I should try and be reasonable with my garage

There's a bit of uninformed tripe on this thread (what, on PH, surely not...) but also some good informed posts too.

It likes a drink but 80-90 miles on a tank, no. It sounds amazing. And it is bloody fast. I love the way it looks. And everywhere you go, people react so well. Doesn't divide attention like a Ferrari. It's a Ford.

Will be sorry to see it go to be honest.

why are you selling it then sucker ?

[andrew]

AndrewD said:

Here's a nice pic

lovely imaginative shade of grey there. grey stripes too
really needs a big wing on the back
hth

[andrew]

^ doesn't a 3.5 v6 make it closer to the spiritual successor to the capri ???

[andrew]

Gompo said:

andrew said:

^ doesn't a 3.5 v6 make it closer to the spiritual successor to the capri ???

No, more like the GT70.

good point
either way, anything paying homage to the gt40 needs a normally aspirated v8 !