Ford GT News...
Europe, meet the Ford GT
(Road Test)
For those who live
life in the fast lane, Ford has built a 200-mph-plus Ferrari-fighter, the 2005
GT. But, except on tracks, there are few lanes in the world where one can let
this remarkable sports car flex its muscles.
Ford thinks most owners, though, will race them on tracks at some point. The
rest can only dream of open roads with no speed limits.
Not that there ever will be many GT owners. Prices start at about $140,000 plus
freight. Not including a radio, by the way. The heavily optioned tester
stickered at almost $156,000, including a $2,100 federal gas-guzzler tax.
Ford plans to produce only about 4,500 GTs over the next three model years.
That the GT is fast is no surprise, given the 550-hp. V-8 that sits just behind
the passengers. Ford says top speed is 205 mph (as governed for retail sale; GTs
have attained about 212 mph in tests, Ford says.) Zero to 60 took an amazing 3.3
seconds in Car and Driver's testing.
The 5.4-liter engine is a heavily modified version of those used in the SVT
Mustang Cobra and F-150 Lightning, and it is boosted by a supercharger. There is
no discernible lag before the supercharger does its thing. Peak engine torque of
500 pounds- feet is attained at 4,500 rpms.
The real surprise is how drivable the GT is through everyday traffic, with a
clutch that's heavy but not overly so, steering that requires only moderate
effort even at parking-lot speeds and a ride that's firm but not nearly as
punishing as one might expect. The very hard Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires on
18-inch front wheels and 19-inch rears produce what discomfort there is and also
seem to set off some rattles and squeaks from the body and interior pieces. An
aluminum space frame provides the car's structure, while aluminum panels make up
the skin.
Brakes are extra powerful Brembo discs. There's a limited slip differential but
no traction or stability control.
The only real difficulty one encounters in driving the GT is in reversing or
changing lanes; rear visibility is poor in part because of the bracing around
the engine for structural rigidity. Through the rearview mirror, the driver sees
a narrow, short piece of road and the top of the engine. And the body section
aft of the windows almost blocks the view over the right shoulder for safe lane
changes.
It took only a few minutes to become proficient at the clutch and six-speed
shifter during an all-too-brief drive last week in a GT being shuttled around
for reporters to sample.
The GT's seats, though are a disappointment; even for this kind of money, they
have few adjustments - fore and aft and backrest angle. No height adjustment, no
thigh support adjustment, no lumbar support adjustment. If the reason was the
save weight, then why include power windows, mirrors and locks? At least the
steering wheel is height-adjustable and telescopes.
The hard leather seats are ventilated for drivers lucky enough to be able to
explore this car's limits and who are likely to work up quite a sweat doing so.
Whether it was for aesthetics or to help passengers avoid undignified noggin
bashing, the doors extend well into the roof.
The trunk is up front - big enough for a couple of weekend bags. Weekend? Sure,
this car is comfortable enough and quiet enough for a long weekend trip.
Quiet, that is, until the engine is revved toward its 6,500 rpm redline, at
which point the stereo and any conversation are drowned out by the roar from the
huge dual exhaust pipes. But, with the transmission in sixth gear at U.S.
highway speeds, this engine is barely above idle.
There is no spare tire, but the car does come with a repair and inflation kit.
Toggle switches similar to those in the original Ford GT control lights,
windshield wipers and the rear defroster. Gauges include a large tachometer
directly in front of the driver, with the speedometer off the right. The GT has
front air bags but no side or curtain-type units. A Ford spokesman could not
explain why.
Considering competitors' prices, the GT isn't all that expensive. Ferraris start
at about $150,000, but the closest in horsepower to the Ford is the 540 hp.
$248,000 612 Scaglietti, although that's a two-plus- two. The Porsche that comes
closest in both horsepower and price to the Ford, the 477 hp. 911 GT2, costs
about $192,000.
More than horsepower goes into making a sports car a great sports car, though.
For the record, Car and Driver in its January issue deemed the Ford GT superior
overall in track testing to a $193,000 425 hp. Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
and a 380 hp. $100,000 Porsche 911 GT3.
Expensive sports cars are Ferrari's and Porsche's bread and butter, of course,
but for Ford, the GT is pure public relations. Its history begins with Henry
Ford II. He decided in 1962 that Ford should get back into racing after a
five-year hiatus. In so doing, it would take on the European automakers that
then dominated road racing. Henry II first tried to buy Ferrari but was rebuffed
by Enzo Ferrari. So, Ford had to start from scratch.
Thus was born the original GT. It was strictly for racing, and it was a smashing
success: GTs placed first, second and third in their first race, the 1966 24
hours of LeMans, where speeds in excess of 200 mph are common. And the GTs won
that race the next three years.
Although its styling evokes the original's shape, the new GT is 18 inches longer
and 4 inches taller.
The first delivery of a GT to a private owner was in August. The buyer, a
retired Microsoft executive, had paid $557,500 at an auction last year, with the
profits going to charity. TV host Jay Leno got the second one, Ford says.
Those of you interested in joining them as GT owners will have to hurry; Ford
says the first year's production is almost completely spoken for.
2005 Ford GT
Engine: 5.4-liter V-8, supercharged, 550 hp.
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive.
Safety: Dual air bags; 4-wheel, four-piston Brembo brakes with antilock and
electronic brake force distribution; fog lamps.
Place of assembly: Wixom, Mich.
Weight: 3,485 pounds
Trunk: 1.6 cu. ft.
EPA fuel economy rating: 13 mpg city, 21 highway.
Price as driven: $155,845, including destination charge.
- Tom
Incantalupo, Newsday,
Sunday, September 5, 2004
For 139 Grand and Up, a
Ford GT Can Be Yours
Ford chairman Bill Ford gets one.
So does Jon Shirley, retired chairman of Microsoft.
Ditto comedian Jay Leno.
Meanwhile, celebrity watchers should be advised that Oprah hasn't even expressed
interest in one.
"I don't think her name is even on the list," said John Coletti, director of the
Special Vehicle Team programs for Ford, as he stood admiring a solid gray Ford
GT he helped create that awaited a launch around the Proving Grounds test track
here.
The list Coletti refers to is the one with the names of 50 VIPs slated to be the
first to take delivery of the '05 Ford GT sports car boasting a 5.4- liter,
supercharged V-8 engine. It has a certified top speed of 205 mph and a guarantee
to attract a crowd wherever it goes.
The 50 names have been whittled from a company-compiled list that had grown to
800 folks who contacted the automaker to get one of the first exotic
two-seaters.
The list was reduced after a dealer meeting at which those on the front lines
said they should have more say about who gets a car than those at Dearborn
headquarters taking calls from friends.
The GT starts at $139,900. If you add the limited options - choice of wheels,
radio and stripes - it goes out the door for just under $150,000 - except
Shirley's copy, which he bought at a charity auction last year for $557,000.
Those who got on the VIP list should have no trouble getting their $139,900 back
at trade-in time - if any of them actually ever disposes of the car.
"We're going to build a total of 4,500 GTs for the '05 and '06 model years and
that's it; there will be no '07s," Coletti said. Of that total, he noted, 1,800
will be '05s, all already allocated to dealers, meaning it's up to them who gets
a car and what the chosen few will pay.
"I've been watching eBay, and some have been offered at a $75,000 premium,"
Coletti said of the 1,800 allotment.
Comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Tim Allen and actor John Travolta want one of those
1,800 but didn't get on the list.
Perhaps they'll shop eBay.
- Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, Newsday,
Sunday, August 15, 2004
This page was last updated on
03/28/05
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