My Ford GT was aging gracefully after almost a decade
In May of 2015 my 2005 Ford GT turned over 27,000 miles. The car continued to perform almost flawlessly. Almost.
Month: July 2018 Page 1 of 3
The New Ford GT in a new color at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show
One month after the new Ford GT debuted at the Detroit auto show the car made its second appearance at the Chicago auto show. The global debut GT was painted a shimmering shade of “Liquid Blue” with no stripes. The Chicago auto show car wore “Ingot Silver” with wide, dark gray (“Alloy”) stripes. As in Detroit, the car drew a consistent crowd throughout both Chicago auto show press days.
The Ford GT is the latest, and best, in a long line of muscle cars I’ve owned
My first automotive love was the American muscle car. I had a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T before I had my driver’s license, followed by a 1969 and then a 1970 Plymouth GTX before I graduated high school. The concept of a powerful, torque-rich V8 engine was core to my earliest driving experiences and expectations, and I continue to appreciate these traits in vintage and modern automobiles.
The Ford GT fits in at premium resorts, assuming they don’t require valet parking
When you live in Southern California there’s an expectation of handing your keys to complete strangers when visiting a premium restaurant or resort. As a midwestern boy this expectation makes zero sense to me. I certainly understand, and even appreciate, the concept of valet service, but I have zero patience for establishments that require the use of such a service when I’m driving my Ford GT.
I visited the Super Street car show with my Ford GT, as an observer
In January of 2015 I went to a local import performance car show in Costa Mesa. It was sponsored by Super Street magazine, the first magazine I worked at as a feature writer (before that I worked at Hot Rod, Car Craft and several other enthusiast magazines as an editorial assistant). I didn’t go to be a part of the show, just an observer.
Bill Ford Jr. and Mark Fields introduce the new Ford GT in Detroit
Starting in the fall of 2014 there were vague-yet-recurring rumblings about Ford building an all-new Ford GT. This rumor resurfaced every couple years after the 2005-2006 Ford GT ended production in October of 2006, making it hard to take this one seriously. At first…
But the rumors went from vague to specific as the the Detroit auto show approached. By December 2014 I was hearing the GT rumor from highly reliable sources, gradually wearing down my skepticism and inspiring me to get up early on January 12, 2015. That was the first press day of the 2015 Detroit auto show, and Ford had the first press conference that day.
A Ford GT Owners Rally in Vegas meant an opportunity for GT service
By October of 2014 I had been staring at a dead vacuum gauge for over 2 and 1/2 years. I purchased a new vacuum gauge shortly after my original gauge died, but I only trusted The GT Guys to install it. Unfortunately, they’re based 2,300 miles east of Los Angeles, near Detroit, so getting The GT Guys and my GT in the same place at the same time isn’t always easy.
The Ford GT’s Midnight Blue color needs the right circumstances to truly shine
When I was ordering my Ford GT in the Spring of 2005 I agonized over the color. There were eight to choose from, but only Mark IV Red, Centennial White or Midnight Blue really interested me. I loved the GT in red, and still do, but as the “anti-Ferrari” I just couldn’t bring myself to order that color. This left white or blue, both of which are stunning on the Ford GT, though for different reasons.
The Ford GT’s original driver airbag is part of the massive Takata airbag recall
As the largest recall in the history of the automobile it’s not surprising the Ford GT got sucked into the Takata airbag recall. In early 2015 a recall notice was sent to all Ford GT owners informing them their driver’s airbag needed to be replaced because of the defective Takata airbag inflator. Unlike many recalls, this one really is scary because it can result in metal shrapnel being thrown at vehicle occupants. Think IED in your steering wheel.
Almost 20 Ford GTs showed up for the Supercar Sunday car show
Another weekend means another car show in Southern California. In fact, every Sunday there’s a car show called Supercar Sunday in Woodland Hills, northwest of Los Angeles. While this show happens every weekend, there’s often a vehicle theme at Supercar Sunday that celebrates a specific model. In September 2014 the celebrated model was the Ford GT.