Spy Shots: Ford's GT Program Going Strong?

[Red Turtle]

I hope this is true! We need something like this to erase the memory of a V6 Ford GT!

Why, it is an amazing vehicle of which the 3.5 didn't hurt its value in any way. My Raptor has the 3.5 and when people ask, I am not ashamed to say it has a TT v6. Someone questioned it the other day so I turned off the nannies and proceeded to do a 100' burn out through 3 gear. No complaints here.

 

[CobraBob]

Come the day when all we'll have is an electric Ford GT, folks will be begging for the return of the ICE 3.5 TT.

 

[Serpent]

Go out and hug your Viper. It’s all we got lol. Let’s remember the good times. I wish I saved the simpsons meme of it lol.

I went to monterey yesterday (monterey car week), apparently there was 1 ACR and i passed a billet silver on 17-mile. Crazy event, our cars are super rare. Saw at least 2 la ferrari and a mclaren p1 on highway one on the way to monterey. This is just driving around carmel and the area, not inside any of the events or laguna seca.

i think i might have seen mr. koenigsegg himself in one of his hyper cars leaving monterey hotel. A ton of exotics for sure.

 

[72SBC]

I went to monterey yesterday (monterey car week), apparently there was 1 ACR and i passed a billet silver on 17-mile. Crazy event, our cars are super rare. Saw at least 2 la ferrari and a mclaren p1 on highway one on the way to monterey. This is just driving around carmel and the area, not inside any of the events or laguna seca.

i think i might have seen mr. koenigsegg himself in one of his hyper cars leaving monterey hotel. A ton of exotics for sure.

There are more ACR gen 5’s than any model gen 5, let that sink in lol. Hell there is more ZR1’s made in 1 year than total gen 5’s. Crazy. I had tickets to the concours show too but I just didn’t get the time off, hyper cars really don’t do anything for me though, I like looking at the restored old stuff more personally. I do like cruising the area though.

 

[jsd512]

Could be a more track focused car?

 

[blk02edge]

Could be a more track focused car?

Post #17, this mule is nothing but an early test mule being driven for more than likely no reason at all

 

[72MachOne99GT]

Well it currently starts with a 5... So... If true, im sure itll start at a 6.

I could settle for the next GT starting in the 6x,xxx range. Only damn way I’ll ever own one.

 

[DBK]

Nope. There was an opportunity to do some mechanical improvements but that time was a long time ago, and there was no appetite to do it. I think I was at Daytona 24 in 2019 and that was right about the time it got the "nope." There's a deadline date for this kind of stuff due to the way it gets paid for. It was a very small expense, but as soon as you reach a certain date you're spreading the cost over 250 cars (or whatever) vs. the 650 remaining at the time which makes it untenable. And that was for a very, very inexpensive program relative to what a literal new engine in the car would cost. And not for nothing, but if you put that engine in the car, you'd be able to count on having a fuel tank that would hold a solid few tablespoons of gas.

The program is done. Final year model year changeover is happening now. There's a couple more things to come but nothing major.

Obviously, thank God Hackett is gone and Jim is the CEO now, but even with a gearhead as CEO, not something that's gonna happen.

 

[13COBRA]

Nope. There was an opportunity to do some mechanical improvements but that time was a long time ago, and there was no appetite to do it. I think I was at Daytona 24 in 2019 and that was right about the time it got the "nope." There's a deadline date for this kind of stuff due to the way it gets paid for. It was a very small expense, but as soon as you reach a certain date you're spreading the cost over 250 cars (or whatever) vs. the 650 remaining at the time which makes it untenable. And that was for a very, very inexpensive program relative to what a literal new engine in the car would cost. And not for nothing, but if you put that engine in the car, you'd be able to count on having a fuel tank that would hold a solid few tablespoons of gas.

The program is done. Final year model year changeover is happening now. There's a couple more things to come but nothing major.

Obviously, thank God Hackett is gone and Jim is the CEO now, but even with a gearhead as CEO, not something that's gonna happen.

So sad haha

I'll take a V6 TT regardless. I'm dying to take one on the track.

 

[DBK]

P.S, this obviously pains me because it's totally preventable and someday I'll write a book on the "why" of this situation, but take a look at this and then I have a follow up question for you:

This was the global reveal for a ~$750,000 variant of the final year of production of a program that started in 2013 and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to do. That's a priceless GT40 prototype parked next to it. If you went to the Quail at car week, the GT was stuffed off to the side next to industry heavy hitters FlexJet and some replica company. No signs indicating what it was. Not even anything to park the cars on. Every bullshit tuner in attendance had a bigger, badder more thoughtful display. Again - this was the global reveal of this car at an event at the epicenter of perhaps the biggest single-week concentration of global wealth on earth. A lot of people I know couldn't find it or thought it was just some dude's one-off project.

You tell me; that level of treatment for an automotive icon look like it's about to get a $30 million engine program?

 

[13COBRA]

^^^ I saw that and thought the same thing, what a joke.

Dave I've heard that a lot of the European buyers are backing out, is there truth to that?

 

[DBK]

^^^ I saw that and thought the same thing, what a joke.

Dave I've heard that a lot of the European buyers are backing out, is there truth to that?

I'll just say this - Europe is a complete and total cluster****. Can you imagine the scenario right now trying to build cars 1 at a time and import to all those different markets with all those different regs? What a nightmare. Shipping alone is a nightmare. I ordered an AMG GT Black Series in January, it got built in March, and after months and months of sitting at a German port, the boat with it finally gets to Baltimore in 2 days - almost 5 months after it was built. And the GT lost of a bunch of power over there because they couldn't get a small volume exemption from brutal new emissions regs. I think the car dropped from 660 hp to 620 hp. There's more to it, but again, just see the above picture.

Europe has a great history of high performance Fords but they are very different than here. You can sell GTs in North America all day every day to a virtually limitless supply of flush millionaires who've bought hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars worth of Fords. I have always thought Europe would be a way harder situation to deal with.

 

[02_Lightning]

Sorry gents to pee in the Cheerios, the body is darn near shrink wrapped around the "guts". Ain't no way they are able to slip in a V8 (of any configuration) without a significant redesign. You talking 4"+ longer and 5"+ taller, not including any FI hardware that might be used. What do you do about transmission fitment now? Engineering don't leave that kind of free space in a purpose built car like this.

This is likely nothing more than some small calibration change. A simple parts supplier change of a emissions component could be driving it. That, or someone inside FoMoCo is simply providing ammo for the media rumor mill.

Beside, current GT owners would be very pissed if a big, bag new model is offered, and leaves their cars in the dust. These are largely very loyal Ford ambassadors.

Have any of you been following this? The story does confirm that this vehicle sounded much different than the eco 6. Also, they said Ford has extended the GT run a few times, so this was no shock. I hope that the eco 6 finally dies off. Really a garbage engine to me.

 

[HISSMAN]

Meanwhile Chevy has a mid engine car that doesn't require you to be a millionaire to own.

 

[VRYALT3R3D]

@DBK Are v8s done for Ford passenger vehicles for North America? Or are they going to announce they are going all-electric soon in North America as well?

 

[13COBRA]

Meanwhile Chevy has a mid engine car that doesn't require you to be a millionaire to own.

A C8 won't hold the candle to the FGT LOL

 

[CobraBob]

@DBK, thanks for those great comments and insights. I’m wanting your take on all-electric in North America as well.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[HISSMAN]

A C8 won't hold the candle to the FGT LOL

The average person will never know that, but will be just as happy with their C8.

 

[13COBRA]

The average person will never know that, but will be just as happy with their C8.

The average person wouldn't know the difference between an FXXK and an Accord.

 

[DBK]

They aren’t even close to all-electric. It’s gonna be a long time before that happens. I mean the “goal” is 40-50% by 2030 and you know how goals go.

The two most critical products Ford sells, the F-Series and the Bronco, are not feasible as purely electric products. I’m not exclusively anti-electric vehicle or anything but it’s wishful thinking to believe petroleum is going anywhere in the near term.