Thursday 16th February 2017

Ford GT: Spotted

Two fingers to due process!

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The new Ford GT was revealed 50 years after the GT40 snatched a 1-2-3 at Le Mans. It also came with a very odd reservation procedure. What should have been a simple phone call to your preferred Ford dealer ended up in a long-winded online buyer's interrogation.

V6? Nah bruh, all-American V8!

As revealed in a story on Road&Track it involved questions on how the prospective buyer is related to the Ford brand, whether previous GT products have been owned, 'your' GT's intended use (charitable causes, on-track and so on), a synopsis of the most significant cars in your collection (preferably including Fords or Lincolns) and how influential you are on social media. To the point you were even invited to share a link to an X-Factor style audition reel viewable on a public link on YouTube or similar to demonstrate "why you would be a good GT owner".

But don't fret; this 2005 Centennial White Ford GT could be your answer to GT ownership, the more straightforward criteria for purchase being £269,000 down the back of the sofa. A 5.4-litre supercharged V8 with 558hp and 500lb ft will propel you to 62mph in 3.9 seconds and keep pushing to its top speed of 205mph with no help from any electric motors. It might not have the same racing success that its predecessor and successor may have but in no way does it make it any less of a machine. Only 4,038 were built out of the planned 4,500 over the two years. 503 of the 2005's 2,027 built were Centennial white making this one of the more common colours.

This model has the optional blue racing stripes, optional forged BBS alloys and the premium audio system. You won't need that though as the previous owner has fitted an Accufab exhaust to let that supercharged V8 bellow and a gearbox breather system to avoid oil misting on the gearbox.

With prices of the new GT said to start at $450,000, the £269,000 asking price looks like a relative bargain, especially since prices of these have been holding strong. You could buy the GT and either a Cayman GT4 or an AMG GT S for everyday with the change.

2005 FORD GT
Engine: 5,410cc, supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 500@3,750rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 2,815 miles
Price new: $150,000 (2005)
Yours for: £269,000

See the original advert here

[Sources: Road & Track,SAAC registry forum]

[cib24]

Not sure it's worth £269k but it's a fantastic car and I would want to own one if I could. I remember a few being modified in the US for 1,000hp and they were absolutely crazy.

A beautiful car though and in my opinion much more desirable than the new Ford GT.

[rampageturke]

cib24 said:

Not sure it's worth £269k but it's a fantastic car and I would want to own one if I could. I remember a few being modified in the US for 1,000hp and they were absolutely crazy.

A beautiful car though and in my opinion much more desirable than the new Ford GT.

I think theyre two different things really. 2005 Ford GT is a homage, the newest one is a continuation.

[samoht]

I disagree with the slant of this article against how Ford is selecting buyers for the new GT ("Two fingers", "very odd", "interrogation" etc).

When important limited-production cars disappear into collections, never to be seen again, enthusiasts like us regret not getting to see them on the road, being used, making a noise. When exciting cars are bought purely for their investment potential, we feel an injustice that enthusiast cars are ending up (not) being driven by people with limited interest in driving, who just want to make money.

When Porsche leaves allocation of GT models to their dealers, we feel slighted if we don't get the chance to buy from our local dealer, and suggest that some dealers are in cahoots with "buyers" who are going to split the loot from flipping the car with them.


So when I read through the R&T story, I'm thinking that at least Ford is making an effort to get their new cars into the hands of people who will love and cherish them, who are real enthusiasts, who will show up at PH Sunday Services and write threads here, and appear on trackdays. And they're doing it on a basis that's consistent for all, rather than varying by dealership, and the criteria are open.

Now, the 'ideal' thing would be to have unlimited production numbers. However, where cars are sold at a loss as technology and brand-building projects, like the LFA, this isn't so easy.

Bottom line - we don't have a good way to allocate limited items, short of to the highest bidder. If you don't want to do that, you are always going to struggle to find a fair way - see event ticket resales. So all things considered, I think Ford are making a very creditable effort to get their new car into the hands of the most 'deserving' enthusiasts.

[Krikkit]

samoht said:

I disagree with the slant of this article against how Ford is selecting buyers for the new GT ("Two fingers", "very odd", "interrogation" etc).

When important limited-production cars disappear into collections, never to be seen again, enthusiasts like us regret not getting to see them on the road, being used, making a noise. When exciting cars are bought purely for their investment potential, we feel an injustice that enthusiast cars are ending up (not) being driven by people with limited interest in driving, who just want to make money.

I agree to an extent, but it's too far the other way from there.

Obviously a fantasy scenario, but if I had the cash for one I wouldn't get through the selection process, despite being the kind of person to use it on the road and enjoy it. They're effectively making people pay $450k to be part of the marketing team, not just filtering out the speculators and collectors.

[PhantomPH]

Used cars kinda lingered around the £115-130k mark for ages and ages. Seemed like the bargain of the century even then. Then like a lot of things, the values started going north and have stabilised above £250k now. Not bad if you bought one for the lower price.

That being said, to me it doesn't seem THAT long ago that you could pick up an F40 for £160k...

[don logan]

I think Clive Sutton sold one for not much less about 8 or 9 years ago!

[Owlwood]

I see an orange and black one of these around Finchley every few weeks. Not sure if the owner has a custom exhaust but it sounds glorious. You definitely know its coming.

[don logan]

Owlwood said:

I see an orange and black one of these around Finchley every few weeks. Not sure if the owner has a custom exhaust but it sounds glorious. You definitely know its coming.

I think that might be an AVRO 720

[djone101]

Owlwood said:

I see an orange and black one of these around Finchley every few weeks. Not sure if the owner has a custom exhaust but it sounds glorious. You definitely know its coming.

That car has an Accufab exhaust too - along with a bigger supercharger - it does sound the part

[405dogvan]

The interesting issue with the new GT is that whilst they used a 'dog and pony show' audition system for the initial allocation, they have not ruled-out making more cars.

These was a suggestion of there being a restriction on resale too - which would give Ford time to announce more cars and remove the 'premium' from the first allocation in a heartbeat.

It is kinda odd that some 'hardcore' car collectors appear to have missed-out when someone who makes Minecraft videos on YouTube was selected (CaptainSparklez) - welcome to the new world order I guess.

That said, you do wonder what would happen if speculation were made impossible somehow - I suspect a lot of the low-volume cars we see apparently 'sell out' might become a bit of a tougher sell?

[PhantomPH]

405dogvan said:

It is kinda odd that some 'hardcore' car collectors appear to have missed-out when someone who makes Minecraft videos on YouTube was selected (CaptainSparklez) - welcome to the new world order I guess.

Just had to look this guy up. Just under 10mil subscribers and 2.7bn views on his vids. He put out a video 10 days ago about his new Fiat 500Abarth from West Coast Customs and that's had 300k views at the time or writing.

I can totally see why a brand like Ford need exposure like this. In fact, this is great marketing. The 'yoof' of today are exposed to a halo Ford...a lot of whom are probably completely unaware of the GT40 and previous gen GT....

[Defconluke]

PhantomPH said:

Just had to look this guy up. Just under 10mil subscribers and 2.7bn views on his vids. He put out a video 10 days ago about his new Fiat 500Abarth from West Coast Customs and that's had 300k views at the time or writing.

I can totally see why a brand like Ford need exposure like this. In fact, this is great marketing. The 'yoof' of today are exposed to a halo Ford...a lot of whom are probably completely unaware of the GT40 and previous gen GT....

Sparklez comes across as a car guy in the videos about his cars. He has had some nice stuff like a Bentley Continental Le Mans edition, 675LT and has recently revealed he had a 458 coupe (which he kept out of his videos) and has now picked up a 458 Spider and even mentioned that he got it over the 488 as it was naturally aspirated.

There are plenty of people in every walk of life who are car nuts but, just because they aren't involved in automotive content, they may go largely unnoticed.
For example - if Amy MacDonald hadn't been on Top Gear a few years ago then many people wouldn't know that she is a car nut (and also getting a new Ford GT too).

[99dndd]

Is it just me, or does that GT looked dated rather than retro?

[GloriaGTI]

99dndd said:

Is it just me, or does that GT looked dated rather than retro?

Agreed. I didn't like it when it came out and nor do I now. Let's not get started on the interior!

For me, the only attraction is that 5.4l supercharged V8

[KarlMac]

Defconluke said:

PhantomPH said:

Just had to look this guy up. Just under 10mil subscribers and 2.7bn views on his vids. He put out a video 10 days ago about his new Fiat 500Abarth from West Coast Customs and that's had 300k views at the time or writing.

I can totally see why a brand like Ford need exposure like this. In fact, this is great marketing. The 'yoof' of today are exposed to a halo Ford...a lot of whom are probably completely unaware of the GT40 and previous gen GT....

Sparklez comes across as a car guy in the videos about his cars. He has had some nice stuff like a Bentley Continental Le Mans edition, 675LT and has recently revealed he had a 458 coupe (which he kept out of his videos) and has now picked up a 458 Spider and even mentioned that he got it over the 488 as it was naturally aspirated.

There are plenty of people in every walk of life who are car nuts but, just because they aren't involved in automotive content, they may go largely unnoticed.
For example - if Amy MacDonald hadn't been on Top Gear a few years ago then many people wouldn't know that she is a car nut (and also getting a new Ford GT too).

TBH I think these people are more into cars than some of the automotive channels. They seem to genuinely enjoy the cars rather than making a video on the latest trinket they think will generate views.

[Curator]

Krikkit said:

I agree to an extent, but it's too far the other way from there.

Obviously a fantasy scenario, but if I had the cash for one I wouldn't get through the selection process, despite being the kind of person to use it on the road and enjoy it. They're effectively making people pay $450k to be part of the marketing team, not just filtering out the speculators and collectors.

Exactly that. With massive demand and tiny supply, how else do you try to get cars into the hands of real enthusiasts and avoid the speculators and private hoarders?