Ford GT v. F355

I have driven a fair few miles in my mates Ford GT, there fantastic bit of kit.
Awsome, i would have one over my 355 anyday. And here in Britain they hold values well.
Go for it i say.

 

I also have driven the GT40 on the track. You have to remember you are talking about the "Ferrari Killer"....winner of LeMans 4 years IN A ROW!!!! 1966-69...An ageless classic....Your Ferrari ownership will be a distant memory when you feel that supercharged V-8...few realize the "40" in GT40...designates the height of the vehicle (40 inch height)(43 inches in new car)....The balance is almost 50/50....GREAT motor, brakes, handeling, transmission....& PLENTY of Aftermarket Upgrades....If I was you....the GT40...would ALREADY be in my garage....I also believe the car has an extended warranty that can be passed to the next owner...check into that....I see them ALL the time on Ebay motors....I don't think you can lose...Top Gear's Test of the GT40....Enjoy....Mark

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UAnlMNvK8Y[/ame]

 

You are getting the real thing confused with the pastiche - which do you mean ? OP ask about the GT not the GT40

 

I have had the red mist clouding my thinking for 35 years. But when my good friend allowed me to drive his FGT my eyes opened wide. Very tractable around town.....almost docile. When you push the go pedal......hold on.......it becomes a bear! Fantastic sounds, incredible torque and so much fun.

It will become my first non Fcar in my modest collection. I say go for it 10 times over! You will not be disappointed.

 

I think there's quite a few threads about the Ford down in the 'American Muscle' section

 

The GT is an awesome car, its truly a street legal race car. maybe its not as refined as a modern ferrari but from a driving experience its incredible. You're right on holding value, the true cost of a car is depreciation (and carry cost). Ive owned my GT for over 4 years and its worth the same maybe a bit more than i paid...i considered a 430 at the same time and today that 430 would be worth almost 70k less so there is alot to be said for having a modern exotic that holds value.

Here are some pics of mine
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I have logged some time in a Ford GT. Its dynamics and general feel are very good. However, it is prone to major oversteer, without much if any warning. It is not for the faint of heart or the inexperienced.

Just something to keep in mind.

 

My friend and neighbor has one and we have gone on a few drives together although I've not driven his car. However, there really isn't any comparison. I love the 355 and enjoy the sound and style. My G is much more aggressive and has so much more raw power. The 355 is fun and "relatively" fast. But the performance compared to the bigger more powerful engine in the Ford GT is just unreal. I say, if you can afford it, GET BOTH!

 

Here is a 2006 Ford GT with 530 miles for $179,500

http://www.motorcars-intl.com/vehicle_details.aspx?id=1215&CAR=Ford-GT-for-sale

 

Ford GTs are beautiful, in my book. When I was a kid, the GT40s were very successful race cars, so they are also a bit nostalgic.

 

Mike-

It's one of the best cars I've driven, and I've driven a LOT of cars on the street and racetrack. Gobs of power, GREAT american V8 sound, very smooth, very easy to handle, very stable at speed, and absolutely gorgeous. Plus, you can bump them up to 700hp very easily (exhaust, different supercharger pulley, and ECU tune).

There are multiple people with cars over 50k miles, with zero problems. True Ford reliability. I actually drove one with 80k+ miles, that had been wrecked a couple times, and the car still felt like a new car. Unbelievable.

As far as depreciation....that doesn't exist. In 2005 the MSRP for a fully loaded car was $156,945. In late '05 the MSRP went up by $10k. About a year ago you could buy a moderate mile 2005 for $135-140k. You can't touch a good one now for under $150k, and I don't think they'll go down in value any time soon. It's like a Stradale - everyone that has had one buys another one eventually, and many people I know own multiples.

 

I once followed 2 Ford GT's around Central London.

Great looking cars.

 

I would like to add a few comments: I currently drive a 360 spider and am very familiar with the 355 and the 430 and recently drove the Ford GT. This had been modified with different electronics and a higher output supercharger producing just under 800 horse power. The GT has manual shift and is amazingly docile around town, no difference in feel to the standard GT. But when you get on it, the acceleration and cornering are phenomenal and apparently the car has proven very reliable so far and, as noted above, depreciation is quite llow. In fact the car has only two drawbacks, There is absolutely no place anywhere in the car that I could find, to store even a toothbrush. No trunk front or back. no glove box and no door pockets. The other drawback is social. These cars are so rare that it is difficult to find other GT owners nearby to meet with and socialize. This is something of a contrast to Ferrari ownership where there is an abundance of opportunities for meeting and greeting. In my area Ferrari guys meet weekly and monthly which greatly adds to the delight of ownership. So I believe that the author of this thread has the answer---Own both.

 

I've driven my friend's Ford GT at Willow Springs in a Ford GT school. Best school I ever attended. The school's co-owners are very good friends. One of them is Neil Hannemann - the chief engineer of the Ford GT project and a four time World Challenge Driver's Champion. The other owner is my life long friend - Richard Hille who has competed in and won the Silver State Classic in his Camaro - reaching an EXACT average speed of 200.00 MPH for the entire 90 mile route. It was his car that I got to drive throughout the entire school event. (Yeah, I agree, quite a good friend). He's also been a top rated SCCA driver for the last 4 decades.

Taking hot laps at Willow Springs with him and Neil driving with me was a revelation. The Ford GT is truly amazing, well worth the investment. I also agree with other posters - there is very little depreciation potential in the car.

There is a seller of 15 (not a mistype) Ford GTs on eBay. Here is the "cherry" of the collection: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-GT-Heritage-blue-new-/160718574655?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item256b92d43f#ht_500wt_1182

Scroll through the pictures and you'll see the cars stacked up side by side. There is another more detailed post about the auction and this owner on the forum.

I own a 360 Spider, a very fine car, but it is very different from the Ford GT. Hard to compare, but on a track there is no comparison - the Ford will eat my lunch any day. But in the end it's the driver that matters. Either Neil or Richard driving the 360 will beat me even if I'm driving the Ford GT.

 

A bit less expensive but worthy, IMO is the Superformance GT. It is more closely like the original GT but modern. Very cool alternative to either a GT or GT40 and more affordable. One day...

 

I know Neil from the viper days. Great guy!

 

Vince beat me to it. I just looked at one of these a few days ago this would be the way to go IMHO. The GT looses something from the original, the SPF is built from the original blue prints with modern touches.

 

SPF builds a fantastic car. A real race car!
Makes the ford gt seem cushy by comparison.

 

The Ford GT is a car we Americans can truly be proud of.

I wouldn't expect much depreciation until Ford does a new supercar.