Karl on Cars

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2005 Ford GT Technical Specifications Postcard

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On May 1, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT Technical Specifications Cover

2005 Ford GT technical specifications postcard cover (image courtesy of Ford Motor Company)

The 2005 Ford GT technical specifications were in flux for years before Ford committed to final numbers. Sound familiar? Before the numbers were finally finalized they were available on a heavy card stock postcard with a cool image of the Ford GT (above) on the front and the complete technical specifications (below) on the back. The horsepower number is listed at 500, but the final-final-final horsepower number for the 2005 Ford GT was 550.

2005 Ford GT Technical Specifications

2005 Ford GT technical specifications postcard back (image courtesy Ford Motor Company)

These cards were floating around the auto show circuit and Ford GT dealers throughout 2005 and 2006. But now they’re hard to find. I just checked eBay and only one showed up, with a “Buy It Now” price of $24.99 (glad I saved several of the copies I got for free). These images aren’t a scan of my 2005 Ford GT technical specifications postcard. They come from an original .pdf file from 2005, sized at nearly 3,300 pixels wide at 300 dpi. Click on the images to see them in full-size, easy-to-read glory.

My 2005 Ford GT Factory Tour

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On April 30, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

Ford GT Factory Tour

Completed Ford GTs at the Wixom Assembly Plant

In June of 2005, about 8 weeks after ordering my Ford GT, I got a call from my Ford contact. He had promised to let me visit the Ford GT assembly plant in Detroit while my car was being built, and he said he’d give me about a week’s notice so I could schedule travel. Well, that was the plan anyway. When he finally did call the first words out of his mouth were, “Your car’s on the line right now and will be done in the next few days. Can you get here this week?!”

I actually had a prior trip to the east coast scheduled over the coming days, but I was able to change my return flight for a stopover in Detroit. Of course there were weather issues in Newark on my way back, which meant I had to take a cab to JFK to get the last flight to Detroit, and that flight was delayed, getting me to my hotel at roughly 3 a.m. Factory tour start time at the assembly plant was 9 a.m., which meant another sleep-deprived Ford GT experience just like my first GT driving experience at Gingerman Raceway the previous October. And just like that event, I didn’t notice the lack of sleep once I arrived at the plant and saw hundreds of GTs in various states of assembly.

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My Second Drive In The 2005 Ford GT

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On April 25, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT Front

2005 Ford GT pre-production press car with early headlight design

After briefly driving the Ford GT for the first time on Gingerman Raceway in October of 2003 I was given a second opportunity in April of 2004. This time I had the car for over 48 hours on the roads in and around Napa Valley. During this drive I also learned I was getting an allocation to buy a 2005 Ford GT, equipped the way I wanted and sold at MSRP. This is the road test I wrote and these are the photos that came from driving that pre-production test car. This article first published July 2, 2004:

2005 Fod GT Rear

2005 Ford GT pre-production press car in Fort Bragg, California

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The Ford GT40 Stars In Its Own Show (and I co-star…sort of)

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On April 24, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT, Ford GT40

In June of 2004 I went to a small studio in West Los Angeles to be interviewed for a series called “Behind the Headlights.” This series of documentary programs, written by noted automotive journalist and historian Ken Gross, focused each episode on one highly significant automobile from history. Examples included James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from the 1955 Le Mans crash, and the 1961 Lincoln Continental, also known as the X-100, that carried JFK on that fateful day in Dallas.

The Behind the Headlights episode I contributed to focused on the 1967 Ford GT40 Mark IV that won Le Mans in 1967. While that specific GT40 was the star of the show, the 45-minute documentary discussed the entire Ford GT40 race program, from the attempt to buy Ferrari in 1963, through the 1969 Le Mans win and even the 2005-2006 Ford GT revival. I’m probably biased, but I consider it the most effective and entertaining telling of the Ford GT40 story (and I’ve seen them all).

Karl Brauer on Behind the Headlights

I played a tiny role in a highly-entertaining Ford GT40 show

Being a part of this show, shortly after learning I’d be getting a new 2005 Ford GT but about a year before I took possession, was incredibly rewarding. Not only was I thrilled to discuss the original Ford GT40, I also felt honored (and a bit out of place) to be among the legendary individuals that appeared in this episode of Behind the Headlights. I’m convinced when people watch this episode they ask the same question Bill Ford Jr. asked when looking at the list of 2005 Ford GT applicants: “Who is Karl Brauer?”

I Get the Word on My 2005 Ford GT Allocation, and the Word is Good!

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On April 23, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT

2005 Ford GT Rear Red

2005 Ford GT Press Car in Fort Bragg, California, April 2004

In my 2-year effort to secure a 2005 Ford GT, preferably at MSRP, I had called over 50 Ford dealerships across the U.S. When I started the process in mid-2002 the most common response to “Would you commit to selling me a GT at MSRP?” was “Sure, we got Mustangs on the lot. Come on down!” Telling the dealer rep I was calling about a future Ford exotic car, with a mid-engine V8, was usually met with an extended pause, followed by “Umm…I haven’t heard about that. Let me get back to you.” Despite these challenges I had five dealers express interest in selling me the car at MSRP “…if and when it shows up.” I was surprised by the skepticism many dealers expressed about the car ever actually being built, which was increasingly frustrating as I watched the Ford GT progress from concept car to production vehicle over the course of 2 years.

Then, the Super Bowl commercial hit on February 1, 2004, and suddenly every Ford dealer was very aware of the car…and the potential it held for dealer mark-up. I can only imagine how many phone calls flooded showroom switchboards on the Monday after Super Bowl XXXVIII. Not surprisingly, when I checked back with the dealers who had previously committed to selling the car at MSRP (including one I’d sent a $2,000 deposit to), they had a different attitude after the Super Bowl commercial. “Yeah, we’re going to use a bidding process for the car.”

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