Category: 2005 Ford GT Ownership Page 15 of 16

All the 2005 Ford GT long-term updates

Ford GT National Owners Rally I

On May 14, 2018

In 2005 Ford GT Ownership, 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

Ford GTs in Heritage livery at Ford World Headquarters

In August of 2006, almost a year to the day after I got my 2005 Ford GT, the inaugural Ford GT National Owner’s Rally was held in Dearborn, Michigan. This would be the first in an annual succession of GT Rallys that have gone on ever since, but it was the only Ford GT National Owners Rally held while the 2005/2006 Ford GTs were in still in production (2 months later, in October of 2006, Ford GT production would end).

Ford GT owners witness the Ford GT assembly process at Wixom

All Rally I attendees were given a complete tour of both Saleen Special Vehicles (SSV) and the Ford Wixom plant. Of course this was the second time I’d been through the process, but I didn’t hesitate to join in and enjoyed one last look at the magic of making these incredible cars. Here is the coverage of the first-ever Ford GT National Owner’s Rally:

Ford GT Seat Comfort, Door Pulls, Detailing Chores and an Owners Rally

By Karl Brauer

On May 11, 2018

In 2005 Ford GT Ownership, 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

One year into my Ford GT ownership and I had almost gotten used to the door design and how to avoid doing the “GT Limbo” as many owners call it. Some complaints about seat comfort had come up, the need to carefully clean each engine vent made for demanding detailing, and a Southern California GT Rally proved fun, even though I went in my 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE. The odometer almost hit 5,000 miles in August of 2006.

2005 Ford GT seat uses a retro design

Ford GT Seat Can Cause Discomfort

August 2, 2006 at 4,820 miles

The question of the Ford GT’s seat comfort has been raised by more than one occupant. Most feel it is fine for at least a few hours of driving, if not more, but some have experienced lower back pain caused by the stiff seam between the seatback panels. To me, the claim initially seemed dubious, but once it was pointed out I quickly discovered that, well…yes, that seam can feel a bit intrusive — especially once you’re “looking” for it…

Ford GT Ends Production, Holds a Secret and has Good Ground Clearance

By Karl Brauer

On May 10, 2018

In 2005 Ford GT Ownership, 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT freshly washed

My Ford GT’s initial ownership reporting was done on a quarterly basis from September 2005 through April 2006. After April 2006 my ownership updates switched to multiple posts every few weeks.

Ford GT Ends Production

July 24, 2006 at 4,579 miles

Ford GT production will be ending soon. In fact, there’s a Ford GT Rally that will have over 100 GT owners driving (okay, some will be trailering) their Blue Oval Exotics back to Dearborn in mid-August. I’ll be there as well and capture the festivies for a future story (should make for quite a Woodward Cruise). The absence of a Ford GT follow-up model, either in the form of the sleek GR-1 or even the comic-book-like Cobra concept, means this will be the last Ford supercar for awhile…

Ford GT Attends an SAAC Rally and a GT Owner Rally

By Karl Brauer

On May 9, 2018

In 2005 Ford GT Ownership, 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GTs at a 2006 SAAC Rally

After 9 months of ownership my 2005 Ford GT had 3,500 miles on it. There were no mechanical issues to report but I did attend two Ford-specific driving events with my GT. The first one was set up by the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) and the second was a Ford GT owner rally event set up through the Ford GT Forum.

2005 Ford GT owners at SAAC Rally in March 2006

I had joined the Ford GT Forum about 3 weeks after getting my car, in September of 2005, and I quickly realized how amazing the Ford GT owner’s group was. After publishing some photos on the forum from the SAAC event there was immediate interest in having a SoCal GT owners rally. This was in March of 2006, and the Ford GT was still very new, so spotting one on the street was quite rare. You can imagine the reaction we got from other drivers with 12 of them parading through Malibu.

2005 Ford GT Paint Flaws, Pacific Coast Highway and the Ford GT Forum

By Karl Brauer

On May 8, 2018

In 2005 Ford GT Ownership, 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

My 2005 Ford GT shortly after purchase

After 6 months of 2005 Ford GT ownership I’d found a few items to gripe about. The most disappointing flaw was in the paint, where small bubbles were visible near the edge of a couple body panels. At first I planned to have these repaired under warranty (as noted below) but eventually I left them alone. Digging into the car’s factory paint job was more troubling than leaving them alone. And I can confirm that, 13 years later, nobody has ever noticed them and I have essentially forgotten about them.

: I still think a 1970 Dodge Challenger in Plum Crazy Purple is one of best-looking muscle cars

: A Porsche 911 Turbo S in Miami Blue further proves my point about blue cars

: The 2018 Dodge-Challenger-SRT-Demon looks almost as good as a Ford GT

: Ford GT on Laguna Seca’s front straight

: The clean styling of the 1970 Plymouth GTX made it my favorite year

: My 2019 Ford GT Carbon Series after being fully wrapped by Envious Detailing

: My 2009 Porsche 911 Carerra S in gorgeous German Racing Green

: Liquid Red with silver stripes looks good, but does it really improve the car’s appearance?

: New Ford GT Carbon Series looks good in Leadfoot Gray