All Time favorite car-The GT or something else

[Empty Pockets]

I was thinking the guy who played "Fish" on Barney Miller???

Aaaaaaaah!!!!! Ya! He DOES remind me of him kinda-sorta. But, his age at the time wouldn't match the guy in that pic, would it? :shrug


I just looked again...I'm stickin' with a Bloomberg look alike! :lol

 

[RALPHIE]

I was thinking the guy who played "Fish" on Barney Miller???

His name was Abe Vigoda.

Aaaaaaaah!!!!! Ya! He DOES remind me of him kinda-sorta. But, his age at the time wouldn't match the guy in that pic, would it? :shrug

I just looked again...I'm stickin' with a Bloomberg look alike! :lol

I agree - age wouldn't match the time. Barney Miller ran from '75 to '82.

 

[fjpikul]

Wait a minute, doesn't Abe's picture belong in Bony's birthday thread?

 

[JOEA2]

Cars are like children. Each one is special. I can never pick my favorite. I love them all. :thumbsup

 

[Waxer]

Macjec: You have to introduce your wife to my wife. I have CSX4206. While I love it to death it is a car you have to be in the mood for. It has an original 427, its loud and a bare knuckle bruiser. I'm good for up to 45 min in the Shelby before my hair looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet, I smell of exhaust, I can't hear, can't taste, can't feel my finger tips from gripping the wheel too tight, my arms and shoulders hurt from muscling the steering and you just know that it's waiting for you to make a mistake like putting your right foot too far into it at the wrong point in any turn so it can visit you with whatever evil it has in store for you. Its sinister and evil incarnate but......I love every second of it. Its sensory overload. In super hero terms, the Cobra is like "Spawn". It can't figure out or decide if its really good or evil but its an American automotive hero and icon at the same time.

My wife, however, holds up a crucifix every time she walks by the Shelby. She won't get in it more less near it. She refers to the Shelby as "Christine":lol

The FGT on the other hand she doesn't want to get out of.

I never thought I'd find another car that has the presence, character, performance, sex appeal and legendary status as a Shelby Cobra or that I'd love as much as or more then a Shelby Cobra. But I did. The GT while a supercar has an almonst soothing affect on the driver and communicates that it has confidence not only in itself (weird for an inanimate object...or are they?) and inspires confidence in you at the same time when driving in a "spirited" manner. It almost seems to say "don't worry buddy, I'll handle this". Similar to what you would expect if asking for assistance from a super hero like (as Mr. Mitty said) Iron Man.

The Ford GT is one of the worlds most awesome cars without doubt and only two years out of production is already an icon and American automotive hero. :thumbsup

 

[djs]

"I have owned, and currently own LOTS of cars. Everyone asks, "Which is your favorite?" Without hesitation, I answer, the Ford GT."

"Lots of cars?" No kidding Tim. My kid's head is still swimming over the garage that held SOME of your cars, like the (I believe now departed) 427 Cobra, the Heritage GT with bumper delete ("hey Dad, why don't you do that to the blue GT." " Shut up, son"), the Lotus (with F1 style helmet ready on the seat!), the Ferrari Stradale ("Dad, get me one of these. It has paddle shifters." "Shut up, son"), and a variety of killer bikes ("check out that Moto Guzzi! Mom will really kill you if you get one of those!" "Shut up, son.").

No, seriously, The FGT is the ONE supercar I've always wanted, from the time I was 9 and my brother coerced my father to look at a used '67 GT500, and the garage had a poster of a MkII in dark blue (maybe that's where it comes from?).
Over the years I've owned 2 M-5s, an M3, numerous hopped up small block & big block Chevys and Fords, Mustangs, Camaros,a couple of AMG Benzes, flirted with the Ferraris and Lambos but never pulled the trigger, one absolutely killer Pantera, but I always wanted a GT40. I tried to get a MkV GT40 when the prices crashed in 91, and still would buy one today if the price was right, but the GT pretty much makes that superfluous. This car is so impressive and so right; quick, fast, handles, brakes, the @#$%ing air works(!), and the looks are out of this world. As I've said before, I'd still spring for a GT40 Mirage replica if it was right. I always felt that was the best looking progression of all the '40's, but it's probably a pipe dream anyway.
The neat thing about the GT is it really is attainable; not the auto unobtanium that the McClaren is for most people (although I'd definitely spring for and F1-too cool for words). The GT is almost a practical supercar, yet it still out-looks the competition. Forum member who have both, answer this. Which car gets you more questions about, or gets more waves, high fives, kids hanging out of windows, or (really attractive) women asking you about it? I don't own a Ferrari or a Lambo, and I'm definitely biased, by I think the answer is the GT, hands down.

 

[sr71]

Even in the sixties there was a lot of development from year to year. How overbuilt would a car have to be to win two years in a row? No other car has the history or heart of the GT/GT40. Personally I don't think you can buy prettier at ANY price. Performance? Oh yeah! The total package...nothing compares for me. Ford said it....It's the ONE!

 

[w. mitty]

No surprises here: The Ford GT. It's the only car I ever sold and then missed so much that I bought another. Still the king of the hill with no peers and none on the horizon.

If you've got one, keep it. If you don't, buy one. You'll never regret it.

 

[usmcfred]

Cars are like children. Each one is special. I can never pick my favorite. I love them all. :thumbsup

:thumbsup

I couldn't agree more! The FGT is way, way up there however, for very different reasons, I also like my '74 Ferrari Dino 246-GTS and the '55 Jaguar XK-140 Roadster. Even the '72 Pantera with all its Detomaso quirks and the '56 T-Bird are cool and unique.

Each was the interpretation of that particular manufacturer's best ideas in its day and it's great fun to drive them all as they're so different.

This, of course, takes nothing from the FGT as it's a fabulous machine.

usmcfred

 

[anya]

:thumbsup

I couldn't agree more! The FGT is way, way up there however, for very different reasons, I also like my '74 Ferrari Dino 246-GTS and the '55 Jaguar XK-140 Roadster. Even the '72 Pantera with all its Detomaso quirks and the '56 T-Bird are cool and unique.

Each was the interpretation of that particular manufacturer's best ideas in its day and it's great fun to drive them all as they're so different.

This, of course, takes nothing from the FGT as it's a fabulous machine.

usmcfred

GREAT COLLECTION! Similar taste or fate. Always good to have a spare GT for the kids.:banana

 

[S592R]

While I love the GT and should probably find a 12 step program regarding them. The car that I have always wanted is a pristine Aston Martin DB5. Maybe it was watching too many Bond movies or something but that is one car that I would be tempted to part with a GT over. As someone around here says ... Ford GT's aren't collector cars. So the odds are pretty high I could find another one. :wink

The Mclaren is a cool car ..... but I would take the DB5 over it .... :eek

 

[ENZO BTR]

It's all GT for me as well.

When I think about it I can come up with a few rivals to the GT in a couple areas.

A Ferrari 250 GT or 275 GTB is almost as attractive.

A Ferrari Enzo or Mclaren F1 or Bugatti Veyron of Konigs CCX rivals or surpasses the GT's performance (at least on a spreadsheet; not sure any of them are necessarily more fun/rewarding to drive than a GT).

But here's the tricky part -- all those cars I just mentioned are both FAAAAR more expensive than the GT and FAAAAR less functional as real cars (take it from someone with 16,000 nearly flawless miles on a Ford GT). You can't drive the above cars daily, and if they break you'll be scrambling for parts, scrambling for a capable service man and scrambling for the funds to pay for the repairs.

For a vehicle like the GT to provide the looks, performance and functionality it provides, and do it at a fraction of the price of the rivals I've mentioned above, is truly astounding. Plus there's that whole history thing about being the only American car to win Le Mans and the only model to have the EXACT SAME CAR win Le Mans twice!

Close runner ups for me are the Ferrari F40 (last one overseen by Enzo directly and another forced induction, mid-engine V8 -- sound familiar?), and the BMW Z8 (a car like the 250 GT or 275 GTB that I find timeless in beauty, but not quite as pricey as the Ferraris...). I could potentially be talked into buying one of those other cars (F40 or Z8) if all the right conditions lined up...but only as ADDITIONS to my garage. If the GT had to go to get any of the cars mentioned above then I would never own any of the cars above -- and have no regrets.

 

[TallCarGuy]

Karl,

I'm with you. There are a number of cars that I have been fascinated with over the years, among them, your choices, but the Ford GT has been burned into my brain since the July 1966 issue of Playboy magazine. Now, keep in mind that I was a naughty fifteen year old boy at the time and was sneaking a peek at my older brother's Playboy. Its amazing that I couldn't remember any of the women from that magazine....

The article "The Bespoke Ford" introduced me to the most beautiful motor vehicle I had ever seen. I still hold that opinion. The work Camilo and company did on bringing this legend back to life, and making it fit a 6'6" tall guy like me, was incredible. I remember when Neil Hannemann called me to tell me he had been tapped as the Chief Engineer for the new Ford GT, my very first question was "Neil, will I fit in it?". He told me that the next time I was going to be in the Detroit area, he would arrange for me to come to the design studio so that I could sit in the prototype and see if I fit. I was there within a couple of months and was escorted to the top secret design studio, having to take a very specific path through the building so that I would not see anything I was not supposed to see, and got to "try on" the NEW GT 40!! We are talking about the first half of 2003 for all this. Well, with a few modifications to the original design of the top of the door they were able to make the car fit guys like me.

I picked up my GT in November 2005 in Aurora, Missouri on a Saturday evening at 8:00 pm and promptly drove it to Houston, Texas to show to my terminally ill brother. Two days later I drove it from Houston to Blythe, CA during a 21 hour marathon driving session and home to Santa Ynez, CA the following day.

Every morning as I leave my home through the garage the first vehicle I see when I open the garage door is my GT. It is really nice to start every day with a smile, and every time I see that car I can't help but smile.

Richard Hille
The GT School
2005 Ford GT #916, white w/stripes

 

[Empty Pockets]

Karl,

I'm with you. There are a number of cars that I have been fascinated with over the years, among them, your choices, but the Ford GT has been burned into my brain since the July 1966 issue of Playboy magazine. Now, keep in mind that I was a naughty fifteen year old boy at the time and was sneaking a peek at my older brother's Playboy. Its amazing that I couldn't remember any of the women from that magazine....

I'll be darned! 'Someone who really DID read Playboy for the article(s)!!! :lol

 

[B O N Y]

Thanks for sharing Richard!

My issue was the concern that I would not fit. Sat in the prototype that was displayed at Concourso Itaaliano. At the time I was 360lbs. Eureka, I did.

 

[t32b]

Chip,
As usual, a perfect synopsis. Like many on this forum, the beauty and performance of the GT is transcended by the deep and positive visceral sense every time I peak in the garage. A rekindling of sensations begun when I first saw the car on T.V. taking on those Italians, and then spotting one on the streets of New York (of all places). Based on this history, no other car can or will ever evoke the feeling I get when I'm around my gal.
Separately, I do have two boys and a girl both 18 and older and they've all had a chance in the left seat. Whether it's my old EV-1, my CarreraS, and my GT, to me, and a completely personal perspective, is that these creations should be appreciated by as many as people as possible. I've let a few aficionados at work take her for a gently ride - with me in the right seat - from time to time as well for the same reason.
For the kids, I want them to have a chance to build the visceral psychic base that I've been fortunate enough to have realized from when I was a kid. So far (knocking on wood), nothing has gone awry.
While I'm on the subject, as you note, in the constrained financial example you cite, I'd never sway the FGT for anything. Nonetheless, my second choice is likely the Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Not the looks, not even the handling or the braking - which are outstanding nonetheless. But nothing like the sound of that engine winding up to clear your sinuses.
Rich

Gentlemen,

The value of an object to an individual is hard to separate from its monetary value as any item could be sold and the money redeployed. If someone offered to trade me a Bugatti Veyron for my Ford GT I would do it so I could sell the Bugatti and buy four Ford GTs. But if you had to keep it, could not sell it, and could not supplement it with a second performance car. Is there any automobile that has ever been manufactured that you would trade your Ford GT for? The answer to that last question would represent the true measure of a car's value to its owner.

If the above stipulations had to be met, there has never been a car produced at any time in the history of the automobile that I would trade my Ford GT for. I, like many members of this forum, have a real emotional attachment to my Ford GT and the owners group associated with it, that goes way beyond automobile owner satisfaction. I own two aircraft, multiple motorcycles, a gaggle of cars, and a boat. If I was forced to keep only one of all of those vehicles, the decision would be easy. The Ford GT will stay with me as long as my heart's beating and my lungs are taking air.

On that score I am fortunate that I only have one son. Many of you have already heard my response to Charley's request, "Dad, are you ever going to let me drive the GT?" Absolutely son, "You can drive it to my funeral". I hope Charley passes it down to his son.

Chip

 

[sr71]

Aren't google and e-bay great? Just ordered up a copy of that July 1966 Playboy. Didn't see the Playboy then, but the GT40 made it into the weekend picture magazine of the local newspaper about the same time. Loved the shot of one of the GT's in the pits at night, disc brakes glowing cherry red. Fell in love then, 40 years later made the dream come true.

Wonder if the sellers will be puzzled by a sudden rush on that issue.

 

[skyrex]

Aren't google and e-bay great? Just ordered up a copy of that July 1966 Playboy. Didn't see the Playboy then, but the GT40 made it into the weekend picture magazine of the local newspaper about the same time. Loved the shot of one of the GT's in the pits at night, disc brakes glowing cherry red. Fell in love then, 40 years later made the dream come true.

Wonder if the sellers will be puzzled by a sudden rush on that issue.

I am sure it might be just as interesting to see the women :eek of July 1966 sans the "upgrades" of the current models. I am pretty sure that airbrushing and plastic surgery had not reached its current level as an art form in 1966.

Ahhh, but beautiful women and beautiful cars come in all shapes, sizes and designs.....classic and modern. Viva la difference!!! :cheers

 

[sr71]

Thanks for sharing Richard!

My issue was the concern that I would not fit. Sat in the prototype that was displayed at Concourso Itaaliano. At the time I was 360lbs. Eureka, I did.

My God, belated birthday greetings and congratulations on the slim-down. Thank heavens you fit, the GT would have lost a tremendous fan, and the Forum would simply not be what it is today!