Ford GT
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The Ford GT began as a concept car designed in anticipation of Ford's centennial year and as part of its drive to showcase and revive its "heritage" names such as Mustang and Thunderbird. It drew heavily for inspiration on Ford's classic GT40 race cars of the 1960s.
Positive response on the auto show circuit in 2002 helped persuade the company to produce the car in limited quantities, and the first production versions appeared in 2003. It is a very high-performance, two-seater vehicle with a strong styling resemblance to its racing ancestor and performance to match. The powerplant is a mid-mounted supercharged 5.4 liter V8, producing more than 500 horsepower (373 kW) and 500 foot-pounds (678 Nm) of torque. Top speed is over 200 mph (322 km/h).
Full production began in spring 2004, with a projected annual volume of 1500 cars. The first customers took delivery in September 2004. The GT is built and painted by Saleen in a small, 180,000 ft² (17,000 m²) factory in Troy, Michigan. Installation of the engine, transmission, and interior is handled by Ford's Wixom, Michigan plant.
As with many highly desirable new vehicles, when the Ford GT was first released demand outpaced supply, and the cars initially sold for premium prices, in this case up to $100,000 or more over the suggested retail price ($140,000 - $157,000 depending on options). Independent sources [1] (http://www.fordgtprices.com) then began gathering and analysing public information on production, sales, and selling prices, and posted that information as a resource for buyers and sellers.
Problems
Early production Ford GT experienced a few minor problems, including glitches with the electrical and climate control systems, leaking power steering and engine coolant hoses, and a steering column rattle on some cars. Two serious flaws showed up later.
In December of 2004, Ford recalled all Ford GTs that had been built up to that point (448 units) because of concerns regarding the strength of the suspension control arms. They had been "squash cast" for added strength, a new process also used by Porsche and Alfa Romeo. But after Ford discovered a crack in one of the high-mileage development cars, the company decided to replace the parts on all the production cars.
Another flaw showed up in the engines of some of the cars. The finish of some crankshafts was flawed, causing an oil leak. Ford dealers stopped the leak with a new main seal and a "Speedi-Sleeve" around the crankshaft, an device commonly used to repair worn engines in older cars. Some journalists felt that this was an improper fix for an expensive supercar and criticized Ford for not either replacing the defective crankshaft or replacing the entire engine.
References
External links
- Official Site (http://www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt/home.asp?bhcp=1)
- Site on all Ford GT versions (http://www.ford-gt.com/)
- Motor Trend GT Report (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0303_fordgt/)ja:フォードGT