Tag: Ford GT Page 22 of 24

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…

2005 Ford GT Ownership Introduction

By Karl Brauer

On May 7, 2018

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

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.

Ford GT vs GT4, Part Two

By Karl Brauer

On May 4, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT press car at Laguna Seca

Yesterday I introduced a Ford GT vs GT4 story I wrote in 2005. It pitted the virtual world of driving cars in Gran Turismo 4 against the real world of driving the same cars on the same track. Here is the second part of that story:

Ford GT vs GT4, Part One

By Karl Brauer

On May 3, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT press car on Laguna Seca’s front straight

Months before my Ford GT arrived in August of 2005 I had a story idea. I thought it would be fun to set up a Sony Playstation console with the (then) latest Gran Turismo 4 driving simulator and see what kind of lap times could be pulled at a virtual Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Then, after driving the virtual lap times I’d take the same cars from the game and drive them around the real Laguna Seca. And because the “hero car” for Gran Turismo 4 was the 2005 Ford GT that car would also be the hero car of the story. (Quick side note: Top Gear did the same story, which might lead you to believe I stole the idea from them. The problem with that thinking is that I did the story 4 months before Top Gear, which, of course, means they stole the idea from me! Wankers…)

I shared this idea with Ford’s PR team in the summer of 2005 and they liked it, so we arranged the use of Laguna Seca on August 29th and 30th of 2005. This was shortly after I ordered my GT, in April of 2005, and months before it arrived on August 23, 2005. But never let it be said I don’t love serendipity. My car arrived less than a week before our scheduled test at Laguna Seca, which meant I could drive my Midnight Blue GT up to Monterey and hang with Ford’s Mark IV Red GT press car (along with several other test cars being driven on a virtual and real Laguna Seca). Following is the Ford GT vs GT4 story that ran in September of 2005.

My 2005 Ford GT Arrives

By Karl Brauer

On May 2, 2018

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

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.

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.