Month: October 2018 Page 1 of 2

Does any car better fit Captain America’s mojo better than a Ford GT?

As a Halloween “treat” I’m willing to post an image I normally wouldn’t share widely. But this shot turned out really well, mostly because the Ford GT diverts attention from me, so here you go.

When I dressed as Captain America for Halloween a couple years ago I had no plan to drive the Ford GT. In fact, I was going to drive the used 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S I owned at the time. Then it occurred to me: “Captain American in a Porsche 911, while a Ford GT sits in the garage?!” I quickly broke out GT and captured this shot before hopping in the American supercar.

The Ford GT Carbon Series: Also Known as…MY CAR!

By Karl Brauer

On October 30, 2018

In Ford GT, Ford GT Carbon Series, New Ford GT, New Ford GT Ownership

This Ford GT is painted Leadfoot, a factory Ford color not officially offered on the GT

Ford unveiled the new Ford GT Carbon Series today at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. I was there, watching the press conference in person, though I already saw this car in Detroit a couple weeks ago. As often happens with automotive world debuts, Ford let some members of the press see the Ford GT Carbon Series early so they could prepare their stories ahead of time.

Like its the predecessor, the Carbon Series has a weight advantage over standard Ford GTs

I’ll get into the specifics about the Ford GT Carbon Series in a moment, but the biggest news about this car is that, well…it’s MY car. I don’t mean this car specifically, which looks great painted in Ford’s factory shade of Leadfoot Gray (a popular Raptor color, but not officially offered on the new GT). No, I mean my Ford GT will also be a Carbon Series model, with all the unique mechanical and cosmetic features that go with it.

My Ford GT Approaches: I’ve Got a VIN and Estimated Build Date

By Karl Brauer

On October 24, 2018

In Ford GT, New Ford GT, New Ford GT Ownership

Ford GT’s have been rolling off the assembly line since December 2016

I’ve done my best to not bug my Ford GT Concierge. In the 2 years since I was approved to buy a new Ford GT I’ve called the concierge exactly 4 times, with three of them happening in the past 4 months as part of my ordering process. While I know many Ford GT buyers have been calling their concierge on a regular basis, even if their order window was months or years away, I’ve avoided that.

It looks like my Ford GT is about to begin production

I can’t even claim amazing self control because, honestly, I haven’t had an urge to contact my Ford GT Concierge. From my perspective, if there’s important information to convey they’ll call me, right? While that’s been my approach for the past 2 years I did breakdown and call my concierge last week. With my vehicle order locked in late August it seemed likely they’d have my VIN, and maybe even a scheduled build date by now.

Ford GT Races at Petit Le Mans and Wins the IMSA GTLM Manufacturer’s Title

By Karl Brauer

On October 22, 2018

In Ford GT, Ford GT Owners Rally, New Ford GT, New Ford GT Ownership

The “Fan Walk” at Petit Le Mans lets everyone get close to the race cars

Ford and Chip Ganassi campaigned two Ford GTs at the final Road Atlanta event in the 2018 IMSA GTLM series. Cars number 66 and 67 competed in the final race, and while car 67 had a chance to win the driver’s championship their fifth-place finish wasn’t quite high enough to nab that title.

But Ford’s GT did take home its first manufacturer’s title. With first place finishes in five races this season the Ford GTs only needed to cross the starting line to secure the manufacturer’s title, which meant all the Ford GT owners in attendance could relax a bit after the first lap in the 10-hour race was over.

Ford Will Produce More Ford GTs — But How Many is Too Many?

By Karl Brauer

On October 19, 2018

In 2005-2006 Ford GT, Ford GT, New Ford GT

Ford just announced an increase in Ford GT production

This would normally be a Flashback Friday post but Ford recently made a big Ford GT announcement that deserves immediate coverage. Check back next Friday for another trip down memory lane of Karl’s Past Cars. For today, let’s talk about new Ford GT production numbers.

2017 Ford GT production began on December 16, 2016

When Ford first announced production of the new Ford GT it was set at 500 units produced over 2 years (logically figuring 250 produced each year). Then the automaker was flooded with 6,500 applications in April of 2016, quickly leading Ford to commit to 4 years of production and a total of 1,000 units. The first 750 units were immediately allocated, leaving 250 available for a final round of application and review.

Ford GT Being Built at Multimatic in Canada

MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 16, 2016–Raj Nair, Ford executive VP, global product development and chief technical officer, drove the Ford GT supercar off the line to help celebrate the event along with employees and guests. The all-new Ford GT is entering the final phase of development and production has begun. One of the first Ford GTs is being driven off the line at the Multimatic assembly location with the first behind the scenes look at the assembly line for all-new Ford GT. The Ford GT is the culmination of years of Ford innovation in aerodynamics, lightweight carbon fiber construction and ultra-efficient EcoBoost engines. Photo by: Sam VarnHagen

Yesterday Ford decided to increase new Ford GT production to 1,350 total units, extending production through 2022. For years I had heard rumors that total production could go as high as 1,250, so the new number didn’t really surprise me. What did surprise me was the length of production — 6 years.