Author: Karl Brauer Page 13 of 32

Just a car guy looking for his next automotive adventure.

The “Fan Walk” at Petit Le Mans lets everyone get close to the race cars

Ford and Chip Ganassi campaigned two Ford GTs at the final Road Atlanta event in the 2018 IMSA GTLM series. Cars number 66 and 67 competed in the final race, and while car 67 had a chance to win the driver’s championship their fifth-place finish wasn’t quite high enough to nab that title.

But Ford’s GT did take home its first manufacturer’s title. With first place finishes in five races this season the Ford GTs only needed to cross the starting line to secure the manufacturer’s title, which meant all the Ford GT owners in attendance could relax a bit after the first lap in the 10-hour race was over.

Ford Will Produce More Ford GTs — But How Many is Too Many?

By Karl Brauer

On October 19, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT, New Ford GT

Ford just announced an increase in Ford GT production

This would normally be a Flashback Friday post but Ford recently made a big Ford GT announcement that deserves immediate coverage. Check back next Friday for another trip down memory lane of Karl’s Past Cars. For today, let’s talk about new Ford GT production numbers.

2017 Ford GT production began on December 16, 2016

When Ford first announced production of the new Ford GT it was set at 500 units produced over 2 years (logically figuring 250 produced each year). Then the automaker was flooded with 6,500 applications in April of 2016, quickly leading Ford to commit to 4 years of production and a total of 1,000 units. The first 750 units were immediately allocated, leaving 250 available for a final round of application and review.

Ford GT Being Built at Multimatic in Canada

MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 16, 2016–Raj Nair, Ford executive VP, global product development and chief technical officer, drove the Ford GT supercar off the line to help celebrate the event along with employees and guests. The all-new Ford GT is entering the final phase of development and production has begun. One of the first Ford GTs is being driven off the line at the Multimatic assembly location with the first behind the scenes look at the assembly line for all-new Ford GT. The Ford GT is the culmination of years of Ford innovation in aerodynamics, lightweight carbon fiber construction and ultra-efficient EcoBoost engines. Photo by: Sam VarnHagen

Yesterday Ford decided to increase new Ford GT production to 1,350 total units, extending production through 2022. For years I had heard rumors that total production could go as high as 1,250, so the new number didn’t really surprise me. What did surprise me was the length of production — 6 years.

The New Ford GT Competition Series Is Hot…Maybe Too Hot

By Karl Brauer

On October 18, 2018

In Ford GT, New Ford GT

New Ford GT Competition Series Front Silver

The Ford GT Competition Series was produced in very limited numbers

The new Ford GT offers a lot of performance, regardless of how it’s configured. Every GT has a carbon fiber chassis, active aerodynamics, a pushrod-activated torsion bar suspension and a 647 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine offering up to 216 mph. That level of performance should satisfy most enthusiasts, but if you want even more performance from your Ford GT there is a “high-performance” version of this hypercar: The new Ford GT Competition Series.

The Competition Series was offered in Shadow Black, Frozen White, Liquid Blue, Ingot Silver, Liquid Gray and Triple Yellow

This version of the Ford GT offers two advantages over the standard model. It’s got a lower total curb weight as well as a lower center of gravity. The center of gravity is reduced by using a Perspex acrylic engine hatch cover and carbon fiber prop rod instead of a standard glass cover and hydraulic strut.

A Collection of Ford GT Configurations

By Karl Brauer

On October 17, 2018

In Ford GT, New Ford GT, New Ford GT Ownership

Here’s a straightforward Ford GT spec: Shadow Black with black wheels

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Ford GT Configurator is pretty impressive. It doesn’t replace seeing a car in person, as you can never really understand how a car, or a color, looks until you’ve seen it life-size and in person. Of course seeing every possible new Ford GT color, stripe, wheel style and carbon-fiber finish in person isn’t easy. Given that challenge the Ford GT Configurator provides a realistic alternative.

And here’s the other straightforward spec: Frozen White with black wheels

Every new Ford GT buyer has probably spent more time on the configurator than they’d like to admit. The possible combinations are nearly limitless, even before you add in the custom color options. And even now, with my Ford GT spec locked in, I still like to gaze at the car in different colors. I’ve pulled all the images on this page from the Ford GT Configurator. If you want to quickly peruse every color (but certainly not every possible combination of stripe and wheel options for each color) this entry makes for easy viewing. Enjoy!

New Ford GT Color Candidate: Petty Blue

By Karl Brauer

On September 20, 2018

In Ford GT, Muscle Car, New Ford GT, New Ford GT Ownership

Petty Blue was most famously used on the 1970 Plymouth Superbird

Yesterday I talked about one of the colors I considered for my new Ford GT. Today I’ll identify the only other paint-to-sample (custom) color I considered: Petty Blue.

Petty Blue got a boost in awareness after the movie CARS debuted

Petty Blue is a color Plymouth offered on its vehicles in the early 1970s. It’s called Petty Blue because of its association to Richard Petty, one of the most famous NASCAR racers of all time. If you’ve seen the animated Pixar movie CARS the character “The King” is voiced by Richard Petty and the car represents a 1970 Plymouth Superbird painted Petty Blue.

I have loved this color ever since I first saw it in my early teens. Generally speaking I find blue, in all its hues, the best color for a car. And within the spectrum of blue, Petty Blue is one of my favorite shades. I told this to my Ford GT Concierge and asked for a sample, which Ford provided.

When the sample arrived it further confirmed how much I loved the color. I actually locked my new Ford GT specification with a paint-to-sample Petty Blue shade. But that was on a Friday, and I had until the following Tuesday to change my configuration. On the following Monday I changed my Ford GT color, bailing out on Petty Blue. Why?