Uncomplicated, untempermental, extremely capable, what more could you want in a sports car?
I’m not a snob. But use the word domestic as an adjective, ie: domestic beer, domestic politics, cars, etc., is mostly a turn-off with few exceptions; the Ford GT’s, and vintage Corvettes being those exceptions.
Everyone knows the story. Between 1960 and 1965, Ferrari was the dominant player in endurance racing, and especially at the crown jewel, LeMans. Furious at Enzo Ferrari for pulling out of a joint collaboration at the eleventh hour, Ford Motor Co. using its deep pockets to beat Ferrari at their own game, building their own endurance racer, the Ford GT 40, named for its extremely short height of only 40 inches.
Carroll Shelby as played by Matt Damon in Ford vs Ferrari, took over Ford’s racing department in 1965, and saw the GT40 take first, second and third place the following year, handily beating Ferrari in their own backyard, and beginning a four year winning streak that lasted until 1969.
Decades later, Ford again shocked the world with the 2004 Ford GT, a car designed and built in homage to the racing GT40 and in celebration of Ford Motor’s 100th year anniversary. A slightly larger version of the famous racing machine and intended only for the street, the new car stands 44 inches high compared to the original 40 inches, but the 2004 Ford GT is a visual twin to the iconic racing version of the GT40.
A 5.4 liter V8 produces 550 HP, 500 ft. pounds of torque, making it very capable of pulling tree stumps out of the ground, while absolutely excelling as a modern, ultra-high performance sports car. A 6-speed manual transmission, rumbling exhaust, and the whine of a supercharger right behind the driver’s ear, all combine to make you every part of the driving experience. Driving the Ford GT is as thrilling as the stats make it sound, but as luck would have it, a passing shower made me more than cautious in a machine without traction control. That I didn’t own.
Speed, even in the wet, is very apparent, and a decade after its release, 3.4 seconds to 60, and a 205 MPH to end is still the envy of many modern sports cars. I would have loved to have gotten this car on the track, just to drive it quickly, and in one of my favorite movies, the hero racing driver does just that. Here’s a clip from the 1966 movie, A Man and A Woman, as his Ford GT40 practices for Le Mans. Lumpy until it comes on cam, the sound a full throttle is amazing.
Ford only produced a bit over 4000 cars, only a handful in black, and on today’s Bring A Trailer, constantly appreciating prices reflect the fact that everyone wants one.
For a moment, let’s not compare the hyper rcar 2017 with this 2005 car. Great as the modern GT is, high prices and relative obscurity mean a car that will see literally no street time, and end up with “for sale” delivery mileage only. A pity. The 2005 version is different, often seen at the ubiquitous cars and coffee, or on the street here in Los Angeles.
Well-to-do sports car fans anxiously awaited the new 2017 version of the GT, but for my money, the visceral experience together with the iconic shape, make the 2005-2006 Ford GT the car to own. An absolutely awesome machine, destine for collectors garages the world over, totally drivable, practically indestructible.
