July of 2007 was a big month for my Ford GT. It was tested for acceleration times in stock form because I knew I’d be modifying it for more power and I wanted baseline numbers. I played around with the loose aluminum door trim while waiting for improved fasteners. I noted the car still felt tight after more than 9,000 miles on the odometer, I commented on why most 2005 Ford GTs have billet aluminum A-arms, and I noticed the door sill scuff plates were, unfortunately, living up to their name. The odometer reached nearly 10,000 miles this month.

2005 Ford GT Long Term Laguna Seca

The Ford GT still feels tight at 9,000 miles

Ford GT Still Feels New After 9,000 miles

July 2, 2007 at 9,068 miles

Vehicles age a lot like humans. In both cases you rarely notice the process because it happens slowly, but get away from a car (or person) for a good chunk of time and when you come back some additional chassis looseness (in both cases) is quickly noticed. I was in the unique position of driving the primary West Coast Ford GT PR car on several occasions. The last time I drove it the odometer read somewhere north of 23,000 miles, all of them accumulated at the hands of automotive journalists and Ford employees…