RE: Ford unveils drop-top GT
Wednesday 2nd November 2005
Ford GT X-1The GT X-1 retains the look of the hard-top but adds a pair of scoops above the engine bay, plus fairings behind the cabin occupants to act as wind deflectors. The four roof panels are removable and stow inside the car, so you can run it as either a hard-top, targa or full convertible.
Ford unveils drop-top GT
Convertible recalls Ford's racing heritage
Ford unveiled a drop-top version of the GT at the recent Los Angeles SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show. Dubbed the GT X-1, limited numbers will be produced sometime next year.
Ford GT X-1
It was designed by US coachbuilder Gennadi Design, who pulled in a number of accessory and aftermarket suppliers for items such as the wheels, audio system, Sparco seats and Brembo brakes. It includes a Ford Racing/Borla exhaust system, Pirelli tyres and Valencia yellow paint with tungsten silver striping, according to one report.
The car is inspired by Ford's history -- the original GT40 was itself inspired by the 1962 Mustang open-top concept and, in 1965, Ford built a handful of GT roadsters. One raced at Le Mans, while two had experimental aluminium chassis and were dubbed X-1.
According to Autocar, you'll need to stump up for a GT first -- that's £85,000 (US list price equivalent) to you, sir -- plus another £21,000 for the conversion.
Time to sell the Fezza?
- More pictures on Autoweek's site
Discussion
Wasn't the GT40 more of a development of the Lola Mk6 that Ford aquired when they failed to buy Ferrari?
"The car is inspired by Ford's history -- the original GT40 was itself inspired by the 1962 Mustang open-top concept"
Sounds as if the marketing department are re-writing history to suit their current advertising needs personally.
Regards
Iain
>> Edited by chassis 33 on Wednesday 2nd November 10:18
"The car is inspired by Ford's history -- the original GT40 was itself inspired by the 1962 Mustang open-top concept"
Sounds as if the marketing department are re-writing history to suit their current advertising needs personally.
Regards
Iain
>> Edited by chassis 33 on Wednesday 2nd November 10:18
Answers.com: "The design for the Lotus Europa began in 1963 with drawings by Ron Hickman, director of Lotus Engineering, for their bid on the Ford GT40 project. That contract ended up going to Lola instead, and Lotus went on to use Hickman's aerodynamic body (with a drag coefficient of .29) in their replacement for the famous Lotus 7: The Europa."
Lovely Lola btw.
PH:
Lovely Lola btw.
PH:
Captain Chaos said:
Actually you have to give all the styling credit (and the rest of the car) to us brits. The GT40 started out as a Lola MK6, and Eric Broadley who owned Lola was tempted to Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough. There the team developed it into the GT40 Mk1 and then Broadley left as he'd had enough of Ford bureaucracy.
chassis 33 said:
Wasn't the GT40 more of a development of the Lola Mk6 that Ford aquired when they failed to buy Ferrari?
chassis 33 said:
"The car is inspired by Ford's history -- the original GT40 was itself inspired by the 1962 Mustang open-top concept"
Sounds as if the marketing department are re-writing history to suit their current advertising needs personally.
Sounds dubious, doesn't it.
The original GT (not "GT40"
was a development of the Lola Mk6. The current GT was spawned from the "Living Legends" programme... which features several other cars including the Forty-Nine...That is awsome looking thing. Is it an official ford conversion though or is it just an external company modifying a standard GT. If its just a conversion could we see mr clarkson change his?? Looks nicer than the F430 but that lambo spyder i keep seeing pic of is still rather nice. Bet its more reliable than the lambo though
Article said:
According to Autocar, you'll need to stump up for a GT first -- that's £85,000 (US list price equivalent) to you, sir -- plus another £21,000 for the conversion.
Hughesie2 said:
Since when was a GT 85k?
Like it says in the add, at the current exchange rate you can get one for £85k but need to buy it in the US and Import, i think its about £120k for a UK spec one at the moment...
So JT, you gonna upgrade then ??
I thought there were a limited number and were sold by allocation due to the interest? Unless Ford changed their minds (again!)
Holy crap, that's on beautiful car! How on Earth could the same people that made that make the Focus!?!?!!?!
Gorgeous wheels too!
www.sonicnonsense.com
>> Edited by Sonic Nonsense on Wednesday 2nd November 13:55
Gorgeous wheels too!
www.sonicnonsense.com
>> Edited by Sonic Nonsense on Wednesday 2nd November 13:55
Hughesie2 said:
Since when was a GT 85k?
Like it says in the add, at the current exchange rate you can get one for £85k but need to buy it in the US and Import, i think its about £120k for a UK spec one at the moment...
So JT, you gonna upgrade then ??
Hmmmmm, as a purist, I prefer coupe's although the pic of it with the roof panels on looks ok at first viewing......
I wonder how Ford have managed to get around those potential problems of "leaky and squeaky" on targa type roofs.
My priorty expenditure is for a couple of mods
(decent sounding exhaust and power upgrade) rather than upgrading to a targa top! >> Edited by jason360hasgone on Wednesday 2nd November 15:59
>> Edited by jason360hasgone on Wednesday 2nd November 15:59
arcbeer said:
Probably being stupid here but I can't see how four roof panels work?
There is a bit stuck to each door, so that when the door is open a chunk of the roof is missing, making it easier to get in and out.
That leaves an I shape section. Careful study of the pictures shows a shutline that runs from the top of one door section to the other, splitting the I in two across the middle of the car.
jason360hasgone said:
Since when was a GT 85k?
Like it says in the add, at the current exchange rate you can get one for £85k but need to buy it in the US and Import, i think its about £120k for a UK spec one at the moment...
So JT, you gonna upgrade then ??
Hmmmmm, as a purist, I prefer coupe's although the pic of it with the roof panels on looks ok at first viewing......
I wonder how Ford have managed to get around those potential problems of "leaky and squeaky" on targa type roofs.
My priorty expenditure is for a couple of mods
This is just a concept for the SEMA show JT (think of it as a US custom car show). The design was done by Kip Ewing (Ford SVT engineer)in his spare time and executed by Genaddi Design, a private (non-Ford) company. The "leaky squeaky" bits probably haven't been addressed at this stage. Don't forget that the GT coupe is a monocoque, and they'll also have to do something dramatic to make up for the lack of rigidity once the roof panels are off - and I guess this is where Kip and the boys did the most beavering.
Borla is offering a sports exhaust & 600PS is but a chip away. The wheels are 6061 Alloy Corporation 19" at the front and 20" at the back.
>> Edited by jason360hasgone on Wednesday 2nd November 15:59
>> Edited by jason360hasgone on Wednesday 2nd November 15:59
'inspired by Ford's racing heritage' and 'the prototype Mustang'.
They've obviously got the wires crossed at Dearborn. The Mustang prototype had a mid-mounted V4 from the Corsair/Taunus. It never went racing and was never intended to.
Ford's racing heritage? Well, the two cars related to the original GT40 are the aforementioned Lola and the Lotus 30, which was almost like Colin Champan's take on the GT40 - pared down even more, with no roof and a little 'fly screen' wind deflector in place of a windscreen.
Now if they'd pared the new GT down Lotus-style I'd have been impressed, especially if they'd got the balls to put it into limited production as it would attract the racing cognoscenti.
But this, no matter how good it looks, is yet another case of 'the coupe was really successful so we'll chop the roof off and stick a higher price tag on it and build even less of them'. In this case I can't see how losing the roof makes the GT a better car, sorry.
Come to think of it, are Lotus, with reference to the Elise and Exige, the only company to charge more for the structural rigidity benefits of a fixed roof? Surely that's racing heritage in action!
They've obviously got the wires crossed at Dearborn. The Mustang prototype had a mid-mounted V4 from the Corsair/Taunus. It never went racing and was never intended to.
Ford's racing heritage? Well, the two cars related to the original GT40 are the aforementioned Lola and the Lotus 30, which was almost like Colin Champan's take on the GT40 - pared down even more, with no roof and a little 'fly screen' wind deflector in place of a windscreen.
Now if they'd pared the new GT down Lotus-style I'd have been impressed, especially if they'd got the balls to put it into limited production as it would attract the racing cognoscenti.
But this, no matter how good it looks, is yet another case of 'the coupe was really successful so we'll chop the roof off and stick a higher price tag on it and build even less of them'. In this case I can't see how losing the roof makes the GT a better car, sorry.
Come to think of it, are Lotus, with reference to the Elise and Exige, the only company to charge more for the structural rigidity benefits of a fixed roof? Surely that's racing heritage in action!
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