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Category: 2005 Ford GT Ownership

All the 2005 Ford GT long-term updates

2005 Ford GT Ownership Introduction

2005 Ford GT Long Term Introduction

2005 Ford GT Long-Term Introduction

About a month after getting my GT I produced the first in a 3-year series of ownership articles and blog posts about the experience. These posts covered the primary aspects of driving the GT on a regular basis, including the reaction it generated from other drivers, dealership experiences and, eventually, a series of performance upgrades and race track testing. Here’s the first of many Ford GT ownership experiences, originally posted in September of 2005:

2005 Ford GT Ownership Introduction

September 30, 2005

VEHICLE TESTED: 2005 Ford GT 2dr Coupe (5.4L 8cyl S/C 6M)
Base MSRP of Test Vehicle: $139995
Options on Test Vehicle: Painted Racing Stripes ($5,350); Lightweight Forged Aluminum Wheels ($3,500); Red Painted Brake Calipers ($750); Gas-Guzzler Tax ($2,100); Destination Charge ($1,250).
MSRP of Test Vehicle: $152945

OK, so no one is sitting around thinking, “Hmmm, I’d like to buy a 2005 Ford GT, if only I could read something about the ownership experience first.” Either you’re already a fanatic of this 550-horsepower, midengine exotic car, or you don’t even know it exists. And if you’re a fanatic then you either already own one or you already plan to buy one – or you really want to buy one and simply don’t have the means.

My 2005 Ford GT Arrives

2005 Ford GT in Camarillo

My 2005 Ford GT, August 2005

It was late June of 2005 when I saw my Ford GT on the assembly line. It was early in the build process, and I was told it would be at least 2 months before the car was fully assembled and shipped to California. I was hoping to take possession before the end of August, but when my contact at Santa Monica Ford called me on August 22nd and said, “So, Karl, there’s this dark blue Ford GT sitting in my service bay” it still took me a moment to process the situation.

2005 Ford GT First Photo

My 2005 Ford GT’s first photo on August 24, 2005

Remember, this was the culmination of a three-and-half-year journey. It started when I saw the concept GT40 in Detroit in January of 2002, continued with my contacting John Clinard at Ford when the GT was announced for production in March of 2002, and encompassed multiple trips to Detroit and a Michigan race track, plus a driving experience in Northern California, before seeing my Ford GT being produced on the assembly line. Now it was at a dealership less than one-mile away.

I Get to Buy a New Ford GT!

Ford GT Allocation Letter

New Ford GT Allocation Letter

It seems fitting to launch this site with a post about receiving an allocation for a new Ford GT. Ford has committed to building approximately 1350 of these unique vehicles over a 4-year production run, with only around 800 available in the U.S. Getting approved was not easy, but at the time I applied I had an 11-year/27,000-mile history of being an original 2005 Ford GT owner helping my case for a new Ford GT allocation.

This site will describe my ownership history with my 2005 Ford GT, which really began in January 2002. It will also chronicle my experience of ordering, receiving, owning (…and paying for…) a new Ford GT. I have over a thousand photos and over 100 ownership blog posts from the last 11 years, plus quite a few videos documenting everything I’ve seen and done since Ford unveiled its yellow GT40 concept car at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. I’ll be posting all of them here over the next few months while also reporting on my impending purchase of a new Ford GT.

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