First Impression: Ford GT

The Ford GT40 was one of the most successful American race cars. It won the 24 Hours of LeMans four times in a row, with victories in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969, beating out Ford's main rival Ferrari. The 40 in its name refers to the car's height, 40.5 inches. In 2005, Ford released the Ford GT, a supercar based on the legendary GT40. The Ford GT was 44.5 inches high, four inches taller than the GT40. The last Ford GT was sold in 2007, and 4,038 Ford GTs were produced.

The Ford GT is a regular at Houston Cars and Coffee events. Someone showed off a Ford GT with Carroll Shelby's signature on the glovebox. I have seen a few Ford GTs on the Houston roads. It has a similar hood to the Shelby Daytona Coupe. The hood design minimizes space for the trunk in the front. There is glass in the rear hood for people to look at the engine without opening the rear hood. The Ford GT is easy on the eyes and has a stunning design.

The Ford GT is powered by a supercharged 5.4L V8, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 550 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. It takes the Ford GT 3.6 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph and it reaches a top speed of 205 mph. The Ford GT cost $139,995 when it was first released. That is a lot of car for about $140,000.

Jay Leno featured the Ford GT on his website. Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Ford GT during Top Gear Series 3, Episode 1 and Series 4, Episode 8. He drove one while the guys were doing a road trip in France during Series 7, Episode 3. The Ford GT is playable in many games. It is playable in the Grand Theft Auto games, Forza games, Burnout games, Need For Speed games, Gran Turismo games, Blur, Split/Second, Project Gotham Racing games,  Driver games, Ridge Racer games, Test Drive games, and many, many other video games.

Final Thoughts: What a car! The Ford GT has great performance for a relatively low price for a supercar. Not many cars can match the performance and the price of a Ford GT. The Ford GT is just stunning. There have been a few things to go wrong with the GT. There have been glitches in the electrical and climate control systems, leaking power steering and engine coolant hoses, and the steering column rattles in some cars. There have been recalls of the Ford GT regarding the strength of the suspension control arms and flawed crankshafts that caused oil leaks. The Ford GT is a great car, but the recalls could scare buyers who want performance for under $150,000.

CarJunkie

Photo taken from a digital camera