New Ford GT | Page 33 | FerrariChat

New Ford GT

Discussion in 'American Muscle' started by atomicskiracer, Jan 12, 2015.

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  1. Nativetroy

    Nativetroy F1 Veteran
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    It'd be awesome if they made more cars, but if the quality is there then staying in the limits of Multimatic makes sense. Also, the limited availability makes them even more special.
    But they couldn't make everyone happy, and it's not easy I imagine to pick and choose. People get upset when Ferrari and Porsche give their special editions to only certain owners and not just anyone. So the process seemed to cover the gaps decently.
     
  2. NürScud

    NürScud F1 Veteran

    Nov 3, 2012
    7,273
    You're right. I have to make it clear. I mean that it is more important for the people who really care and love the GT for it's heritage and for a lot of other reasons and who also already have some great Fords in their ownership, like the old GT40, the '05 GT or other models like Cobras, Mustangs etc. It is unfair for them not having the car...and on the other hand it sounds silly..that some of the cars will go to 'famous' people...just for showing off it...like Shmee etc..who only owns the new Focus RS.

    (I've mentioned Shmee because he was mentioned as an example on some previous post)

    I don't know if i've put that correct.

    :)
     
  3. Sinovac

    Sinovac Karting

    Aug 25, 2007
    249
    To judge the selection process by a few high profile recipients is to judge it without all the facts and to judge it very unfairly. The background of each of the 500 recipients is unknown to all those who are critical.

    I was fortunate enough to be selected. If ByeEnzo is a "Joe Nobody," then I wouldn't be considered a pimple on Joe Nobody's behind. My only "credentials" are my love for my 2006 Ford GT, which I bought new and drove home 1,200 miles from the dealership, and all the other Fords I've purchased over the years. No YouTube videos. No social media presence other than my participation on Fordgtforum.com. I didn't submit any videos or pictures with my application because I felt uncomfortable doing so.

    You might consider me "unworthy." Regardless, the point to be made is that the mere fact that someone like me received an allocation demonstrates that Ford made an effort to get the cars into the hands of regular, loyal Ford customers. I am not alone in this regard. There are many more like me who received an allocation, but because we aren't screaming peacocks, it's assumed we don't exist.

    There are certainly far more than 500 extremely loyal Ford customers worldwide. Ford had an impossible task and was sure to disappoint many. However, this does not mean the process was unfair or indicative of Ford snubbing its most loyal customers.
     
  4. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
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    ^ Great post. Thank you for sharing. And, congratulations on your new car...T
     
  5. SteveA

    SteveA Karting

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    Well Stated Sinovac.
     
  6. Dragster

    Dragster Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2007
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    I agree.
     
  7. noone1

    noone1 F1 Rookie
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    I think actually you're a great person to get one. I think what's odd is some Minecraft playing dude getting one over a guy who owned original GT40s and such, and didn't just keep them as garage queens and flip them 50 years later for $15M.

    Schmee I guess I can understand because 1) It's a UK allocation and 2) he's a huge name in car videos and such. Minecraft dude? He owns a McLaren I guess and I've never even heard of the guy or even seen a mention of him on the McLaren board. Hard to believe he's a great ambassador or anything for the brand... I mean, I can name or recognize just about every other major "internet car guy," so seems unlikely I overlooked him.
     
  8. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    First, congratulations on being selected!

    And your post is correct. But the problem is

    1) Ford decided to make this entire selection process a big PR stunt opening it up to "everyone". Sure some people had no chance (and knew that going in) but a lot of loyal Ford fans had a legitimate chance. Some were bound to be disappointed.

    2) When the final selection came about there's no transparency to the selection process. So, if you look at guy A who got one compared to you who didn't, you're upset.

    Ferrari does not do this. No one really knows who else got a car or why. Who got a LaFerrari and why? If you don't know why, it's difficult to ask "why"?

    There is no transparency with Ferrari but there's also no public "beauty contest" to get one as well.

    I learned this from a Ferrari dealer a long time ago. Apparently they had a dinner for the the winners for the 500 people selected for the Barchetta. They were all given their numbers at the dinner.

    Believe it or not, some were upset they got a higher number than another guy. Since then they keep all special allocations secret.
     
  9. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
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    I think we're in violent agreement. A guy like *you* should get an allocation. I'm thrilled for you! That's what I've been intoning recently and the point Salomondrin is making in the video I posted earlier in this thread.

    I can't wait to see the Hello Kitty wrap that Deadmau5 will put on the FGT. Maybe Captain Sparkelz will build an entire FGT world in Minecraft. Ooooh.

    As for Shmee, I'm still very much in the WTF camp on that decision. They did it for "exposure" - are you f'ing kidding me? Ford must have a worldwide marketing budget in the hundreds of millions. They don't need some wanker with a YT channel nobody ever heard of outside of car geeks and leapers.
     
  10. dbk

    dbk Formula Junior

    Sep 21, 2005
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    SE Mich
    The whole premise of Salomondrin's video is junk, and the only reason he's made it is because he has some association with this Armik guy who has been melting down on Facebook over not getting one.

    How many YouTube celebs got cars? I count Shmee, this Minecraft guy I've yet to see (and I have to admit, I still don't even know what the hell Minecraft is), and that's about it. Everyone knows Deadmau5 is a huge car freak and one of the biggest DJs in the world. Are we really gonna piss and moan about him getting one of 500 cars? Or Amy MacDonald, the Scottish singer girl that's a big time car nut? (Notice these allocations tended to be made in weaker markets with less competition outside the U.S)

    It was transparent from the beginning Ford would consider applications from various groups of people. By far, the biggest group of allocations were made to existing Ford GT owners. When you say a guy like Sinovac should get a car, that is mostly what happened. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but just look at the preponderance of guys like Sinovac that received cars on FGT Forum. He is exactly right in that regular guys on the internet don't get any attention, whereas 1 Shmee has people fixated.

    Shmee is a young guy with a really large audience. Ford has made no secret they believe performance vehicles drive interest amongst young people. I was unsurprised when he announced he was granted a car.
     
  11. dbk

    dbk Formula Junior

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    Keep moving the goal posts.

    The real problem here is you repetitively made claims that have been obliterated by reality, so you'll continually find new problems with the process.

    Totally agree, Ford should have just given cars to people without telling anyone why. After all, fits the strategy they have of selling them to people who will put them in bubbles so Ford can somehow benefit when they get sold on resale. Wait, I thought Ford was behaving like Ferrari? Are you now saying they're not?
     
  12. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
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    I read 30 pages of posts on FGT forum and it really made me happy to read the posts of so many "regular car guys" getting them. It also made me sad that some really deserving folks got the shaft. Sure, maybe there are only half a dozen frivolous allocations but that's 6 regular car guys (or gals) that won't get one.

    I wasn't surprised that Shmee got one. Not in the slightest. I do, however, still think it's BS.
     
  13. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #813 TheMayor, Jul 31, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2016
    I'm sorry but I've been proven right.

    Ford used this as a big PR stunt. I said that for a long time now. Can anyone deny that?

    Instead of being serious with its best customers (and suppliers and investors who I'm sure also got them), they put themselves up for ridicule for making people disappointed or even angry.

    I didn't move any goal posts. Ford wanted some publicity and in doing so, pissed off some of their best customers to get it. I said this would happen. You can't give everyone in the world a task to show what a great Ford customer they are and then tell most of them "they are not worthy"

    And in public no less.

    Live by the sword, die by the sword


    Ford is behaving like Ferrari, only worse. Not only are they restricting cars to some over others, they are doing it in public after asking people to go public. And don't ask me to defend Ferrari because you're asking the wrong guy.

    There's only 2 ways this could be completely fair.

    1) a lottery. Put everyone's name in a hat and draw them out.

    2) the free market. Put the cars in a showroom and let people pay what they want for it.

    As soon as you start picking winners and losers, the losers are going to be upset. Ferrari does it in private, Ford did it in public
     
  14. dbk

    dbk Formula Junior

    Sep 21, 2005
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    Delusional.
     
  15. Sinovac

    Sinovac Karting

    Aug 25, 2007
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    Thank you. I'm very excited about the new GT. It's the only car of its type I would ever consider buying.

    Let's take a critical look at the two "problems" you noted.

    The entire market for high priced cars is one giant PR stunt, so I hardly see what Ford did as offensive. The established players like Ferrari are master manipulators of people who otherwise pride themselves on being lords of their personal universe. Quite honestly, I would rather ride a bicycle than deal with the pomposity of Ferrari. Your Ferrari example says nothing of the Ford allocation effort but speaks volumes of Ferrari's choke hold on buyers who crave the next shiny object from Maranello. The Barchetta dinner fiasco you noted reflects very poorly on those in attendance. Perhaps it is an example of Ferrari reaping what it had sown.

    Your defense of the opaque Ferrari allocation process is curious. It seems you are suggesting that customers are better off having no idea how a manufacturer will parcel out its cars. With the Ford allocation effort I knew I had an honest chance. If I had purchased a 360 in 2006 instead of my Ford GT, would I have had the same honest chance at a limited run Ferrari? The answer to this question is all anyone needs to know about the relative fairness of the Ford and Ferrari allocation models.
     
  16. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #816 TheMayor, Jul 31, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2016
    You miss my point ENTIRELY

    I do not defend Ferrari. I criticize them for the exact same reasons.

    The difference is that the Ford PR department did what they could to get as many eyeballs going to social media. When you do that, you are going to disappoint some. Unfortunately, that "some" may be their best customers who feel slighted. Is that good or bad?

    IMO, all special edition cars from manufacturers should be left to the free market. If you make a car that costs 400 grand and the real value is $1m, so be it. Apple makes an Iphone that costs $80 and sells it for $600. Is Apple "bad"? No, they made something people really want and will pay overprice for it. Most of us would say "good for them!". Certainly their investors would.

    It's the only true way to be completely fair other than a lottery.

    When you go public, you get situations like Shmee. Deserving people say "how the heck did he get one and I didn't?" And unfortunately for Ford, they have a point.


    Ferrari makes special edition cars to boost sales. They get their better customers to trade in their cars for another sale. Ford made this car to promote their brand. Ford has no intention of being in the super car market or expects sales from it to do anything to their bottom line. For Ferrari, it's their bread and butter. They need them, Ford doesn't.
     
  17. Sinovac

    Sinovac Karting

    Aug 25, 2007
    249
    There are 500 cars and over 6500 applications. No matter how the allocation process was handled, there is no conceivable way Ford could prevent disappointment.

    I'm a big fan of the free market, but without controlling ADM with the allocation process chosen by Ford, many of the "deserving" customers being lauded in this thread would have had zero chance to buy the car. Why don't you just say that you think only the extremely wealthy should be able to purchase a car like this?
     
  18. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #818 TheMayor, Jul 31, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2016
    What is wrong with only the extremely wealthy being able to afford it?

    Is this a crime today? Can the average Joe afford a $1.7m LaFerrari?


    Here is my big point. Ford asked it's customers to go public to demonstrate why they are worthy to buy one. When you ask people to go public then you are inviting public disappointment and even possible ridicule or embarrassment.

    They didn't have to do it that way -- but they wanted to. They wanted to because they wanted interest in Ford through social media.

    Unfortunately, social media is a double edged sword. And every time Shmee tells people about his wonderful Ford GT (and I'm sure it will be that), it will be a finger in the eye of people who can't understand why he got one.

    And I would argue a lottery would give the "non-rich" a much better chance to get one. Put all 6500 apps in a hat and draw out 500. Would anyone really complain if they lost? Would some people just have the best days of their lives? What a great story that would have been.
     
  19. Sinovac

    Sinovac Karting

    Aug 25, 2007
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    No crime at all, but entirely inconsistent with Ford's desire to get the car into the hands of the great unwashed masses.
     
  20. Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo F1 Rookie
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    What if Shmee decides he's had enough of the whole YT game and stops posting videos?** That should have been the litmus test question Ford asked themselves. Did they put a rider on his allocation requiring him to maintain his YT channel at the same level or a minimum number of GT and RS videos? If they were smart they did.

    **It's not such a far-fetched scenario. The amount of work he does to record and post those videos is insane (full disclosure, I had a YT car channel with millions of views). Not to mention the haters he has to put up with (guilty as charged). He could wake up one day and decide to pack it all in & live his life privately.
     
  21. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Someone who can buy a $400k is not unwashed mass.
     
  22. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    What is the Multimatic limitation? Can they only make 500 or can they only make 500 over 2 years? If the latter, then why not produce the car over 4 years?
     
  23. dbk

    dbk Formula Junior

    Sep 21, 2005
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    They've already announced they will be racing the car for a total of 4 years. The impact of the extension of the race program seems obvious.
     
  24. Sinovac

    Sinovac Karting

    Aug 25, 2007
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    You missed the sarcasm.
     
  25. jasonjsipos

    jasonjsipos Rookie

    Aug 30, 2012
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    As an original owner of a Ford GT I was hopeful to get an allocation. Unfortunately I was not chosen, and am I disappointed, yes, but I am still a huge Ford fan and will continue drive all of my Ford vehicles and to tell people I know about the great products Ford is producing now. I feel no public shame for saying I was not chosen for one of the first 500. I will happily reapply when the next release is announced and know I have the same chances of getting picked I had this time. At least I know that I have an honest chance. In the meantime I will drive my GT and be happy we live in a time when there are new GTs, LaFerraris and P1s roaming the streets. This is truly a golden age of performance cars.
     

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