skyrex
FORD GT OWNER
:thumbsup:thumbsup That is a great way to celebrate the end of the warranty!! :cheers
Do You Remember Your First Drive?
- Thread starter AtomicGT
- Start date
:thumbsup:thumbsup That is a great way to celebrate the end of the warranty!! :cheers
w. mitty
GT Owner
- Sep 1, 2005
- 704
Back in august of 2006, I found my car on EBAY. It was, of course, a new car, for sale at a tiny dealer in rural PA. Apparently, they had received a special allocation of a GT to generate buzz around their "grand reopening". After the promotion was over, the dealer principal seemed scared to death of having a $168,000 car in inventory, and agreed to sell it to me for $154,000. I recruited by brother and we boarded a plane in Arizona to fly out and give it the once-over before I pulled the trigger.
We arrived in the middle of farm country to find the car sitting in a one-car showroom, obviously built in the 70's. The surrounding lot contained mostly F-150s and an odd assortment of tractors. Everyone in small town knew the car, and the two salesmen that worked at the dealer treated it like the automotive incarnation of the holy grail. I don't think the doors had even been opened after it was put into its shrine.
Anyway, we arrive and I am immediately treated like the rich, big city outsider come to marry the town sweetheart; they are polite but reticent. The car looks great; nice clean edges on the white stripes, perfect paint, a real gem. After the money changes hands (and ONLY after the money changes hands) they open the showroom doors and a crowd gathers around to witness the big event. While this is not my first drive in a GT, it is the most important. This car will be a keeper. I fire it up with that characteristic GT bark banging of the showroom windows, and ease it through the doors, thankfully in 1st gear and with no drama. Neither of the salesmen want to thread the car through the narrow opening; the manager is more than content to guide me as I do it. The smell of the interior, the expansive line of the instruments on the dash, the supercharger in the rearview are almost overwhelming to me. This is the REAL DEAL.
We cruise gently around the unfamiliar country side, and the necks are craning everywhere we go. We start with 1.3 miles on the odo and return it with 23 about a half hour later. I am amazed at how easy it is to drive. As soon as we return to the dealer, even more people are there, and the manager tells us they had several calls from locals telling them that the GT had been stolen and that they saw two strangers leaving town in it. We all laugh. I put the car goes back in the showroom.
I arranged for shipping and the car arrived in the West about two weeks later. It was obvious from the odometer that the car had not been touched while it sat in that little showroom, waiting to be sent to its new "big city owners from the other side of the country." I get all misty eyed just thinking about it...
We arrived in the middle of farm country to find the car sitting in a one-car showroom, obviously built in the 70's. The surrounding lot contained mostly F-150s and an odd assortment of tractors. Everyone in small town knew the car, and the two salesmen that worked at the dealer treated it like the automotive incarnation of the holy grail. I don't think the doors had even been opened after it was put into its shrine.
Anyway, we arrive and I am immediately treated like the rich, big city outsider come to marry the town sweetheart; they are polite but reticent. The car looks great; nice clean edges on the white stripes, perfect paint, a real gem. After the money changes hands (and ONLY after the money changes hands) they open the showroom doors and a crowd gathers around to witness the big event. While this is not my first drive in a GT, it is the most important. This car will be a keeper. I fire it up with that characteristic GT bark banging of the showroom windows, and ease it through the doors, thankfully in 1st gear and with no drama. Neither of the salesmen want to thread the car through the narrow opening; the manager is more than content to guide me as I do it. The smell of the interior, the expansive line of the instruments on the dash, the supercharger in the rearview are almost overwhelming to me. This is the REAL DEAL.
We cruise gently around the unfamiliar country side, and the necks are craning everywhere we go. We start with 1.3 miles on the odo and return it with 23 about a half hour later. I am amazed at how easy it is to drive. As soon as we return to the dealer, even more people are there, and the manager tells us they had several calls from locals telling them that the GT had been stolen and that they saw two strangers leaving town in it. We all laugh. I put the car goes back in the showroom.
I arranged for shipping and the car arrived in the West about two weeks later. It was obvious from the odometer that the car had not been touched while it sat in that little showroom, waiting to be sent to its new "big city owners from the other side of the country." I get all misty eyed just thinking about it...
"Hello is this Mr. Mikulecky?"
"Yes it is but you can call me Tim"
"Ah yes, Tim. We have your Ford GT here ready for pickup"
"HMMM...what do you mean?
"Yeah, we have you on a waiting list, The GT's have arrived and yours is here"
"I don't remember being put or asking to be put on a waiting list???"
"Do you have a wife named Stephanie?"
"Yes, that's my wife"
"Yeah, she put you on the list and your GT is here, ready for pick up?"
"..........uh...................OK?"
(days later) go down to view the car, love it.... make a deal.... not a great deal, remember it was August of 2005 :frown
Write the biggest check of my life, take a picture with the GM and the Check..
I then ask them to store my gal as me and my wife are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and would rather not have it sitting in my garage for two weeks..
GM says, NOOOO PROOOBBBLEMMM but we would like you to take it for a drive..
I respond by saying. I don't need to drive it, I know it's going to be great and surpass any expectations I may have. I'm not buying it for it's handling, I'm buying it cause it's a freeeeking FORDGT!!!
Eitherway, Tim, we'd really just like you to take it for a drive. It's in your best interest. You did just write a big check and we want you to be satisfied..
OOOOO KAY!!! Get in the car with the owners grandson...don't remember too much. Took some side streets north to return on the 405 south. While getting on the on ramp, I hear the owners son say, "Get on her!!!"
Something came over me, I didn't hesitate, The animal in me took over:cheers dumped the clutch, stomped on the accelerator and went through 2 gears. (was already in 2nd) and on my way from 3rd going into 4th I heard the owners son say, "There's your hungeeee!!"
The time it took me to figure out where the speedo was, I was still creeping up to 140mph. When I saw that, foot came off of the accelerator immediately, put her in neutral and coasted all the way to my exit and back to the dealership.
Brandon didn't flinch or freak once, not that I saw anyways...He just asked how'd I like it?
Put it this way, I didn't want to go on vacation to Hawaii for 2 weeks the next day:biggrin
I just wanted to drive my Ford GT!!!!!!!!
"Yes it is but you can call me Tim"
"Ah yes, Tim. We have your Ford GT here ready for pickup"
"HMMM...what do you mean?
"Yeah, we have you on a waiting list, The GT's have arrived and yours is here"
"I don't remember being put or asking to be put on a waiting list???"
"Do you have a wife named Stephanie?"
"Yes, that's my wife"
"Yeah, she put you on the list and your GT is here, ready for pick up?"
"..........uh...................OK?"
(days later) go down to view the car, love it.... make a deal.... not a great deal, remember it was August of 2005 :frown
Write the biggest check of my life, take a picture with the GM and the Check..
I then ask them to store my gal as me and my wife are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and would rather not have it sitting in my garage for two weeks..
GM says, NOOOO PROOOBBBLEMMM but we would like you to take it for a drive..
I respond by saying. I don't need to drive it, I know it's going to be great and surpass any expectations I may have. I'm not buying it for it's handling, I'm buying it cause it's a freeeeking FORDGT!!!
Eitherway, Tim, we'd really just like you to take it for a drive. It's in your best interest. You did just write a big check and we want you to be satisfied..
OOOOO KAY!!! Get in the car with the owners grandson...don't remember too much. Took some side streets north to return on the 405 south. While getting on the on ramp, I hear the owners son say, "Get on her!!!"
Something came over me, I didn't hesitate, The animal in me took over:cheers dumped the clutch, stomped on the accelerator and went through 2 gears. (was already in 2nd) and on my way from 3rd going into 4th I heard the owners son say, "There's your hungeeee!!"
The time it took me to figure out where the speedo was, I was still creeping up to 140mph. When I saw that, foot came off of the accelerator immediately, put her in neutral and coasted all the way to my exit and back to the dealership.
Brandon didn't flinch or freak once, not that I saw anyways...He just asked how'd I like it?
Put it this way, I didn't want to go on vacation to Hawaii for 2 weeks the next day:biggrin
I just wanted to drive my Ford GT!!!!!!!!
Neilda
GT Owner
My first drive, like my first in the Murcielago and the first in the Vanquish is actually hard to recall.
But I do remember the excitement building up to its arrival. I bought the GT and completed the paperwork whilst it was in a container coming over from America. I even got the name of the ship it was coming over in and knew that it was arriving at Southampton Docks on a particular day in September 05.
On the day of its arrival I thought I'd email the manager of Southampton Docks and ask if he'd seen it arrive, I describe what a Ford GT looked like to aid his recognition, and described the color scheme too - a few hours later and he replied.
"We get a few cars coming in to Southampton, however have taken a photograph of the latest delivery, see if you can spot yours...."
It wasn't actually this picture, but a far bigger version of the same theme:
I had to admire the man's sense of humor and my own naivety for asking the question!
Anyway, the big day came and I collected the car - rolled off gingerly in 3rd gear. :lol
But I do remember the excitement building up to its arrival. I bought the GT and completed the paperwork whilst it was in a container coming over from America. I even got the name of the ship it was coming over in and knew that it was arriving at Southampton Docks on a particular day in September 05.
On the day of its arrival I thought I'd email the manager of Southampton Docks and ask if he'd seen it arrive, I describe what a Ford GT looked like to aid his recognition, and described the color scheme too - a few hours later and he replied.
"We get a few cars coming in to Southampton, however have taken a photograph of the latest delivery, see if you can spot yours...."
It wasn't actually this picture, but a far bigger version of the same theme:
I had to admire the man's sense of humor and my own naivety for asking the question!
Anyway, the big day came and I collected the car - rolled off gingerly in 3rd gear. :lol
Mullet
FORD GT OWNER
My first drive was uneventful but my second first drive was memorable.
The second first drive was when it was delivered to my house after being twin turboed. It was dark outside and I immediately took it to the freeway (I-10) which is a mile from my house. Babied it till I got on the freeway and then nailed it in second thru fourth. The absolute violence in the way it accelerates in 3rd and 4th gears is amazing. In the first full pull from 2nd through 4th I got immediate goosebumps up and down both arms and all I could think of was ohmygodIcan'tbelievehowcrazyfastthisthingis.
I get goosebumps on my arms just thinking of that moment.
I'll never forget that moment.
The second first drive was when it was delivered to my house after being twin turboed. It was dark outside and I immediately took it to the freeway (I-10) which is a mile from my house. Babied it till I got on the freeway and then nailed it in second thru fourth. The absolute violence in the way it accelerates in 3rd and 4th gears is amazing. In the first full pull from 2nd through 4th I got immediate goosebumps up and down both arms and all I could think of was ohmygodIcan'tbelievehowcrazyfastthisthingis.
I get goosebumps on my arms just thinking of that moment.
I'll never forget that moment.
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soroush
Ford Gt Owner
- Aug 8, 2007
- 5,256
now imagine your experience except for a few miles faster in each gear, then you will have reached my experience:biggrin
I couldnt help myself:lol
actually the first time I drove mine was pretty uneventful, I had to drive it from the car lot to get it inspected down the street. I was so nervous I dont think I exceeded 10 mph. Then came home and posted some pics:thumbsup
Sinovac
GT Owner
He probably didn't care if you were satisfied. He wanted you to complete the purchase. You can unwind a deal on a new car until you drive it off the lot. Good story nevertheless!
Sinovac
GT Owner
My son and I bought our '06 from a small dealer in Lincoln Illinois. The local paper ran an article about the sale before we got there. We flew up and a bunch of locals came to see us pick up the car, which was the subject of another article in the same paper. It was a big deal in Lincoln. My son took a picture of the first time I started up the car. We drove the car back to Florida. What a great road trip.
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Thugboat
GT Owner
Sinovac,
I love it. The GT checklist. Passport Radar Detector in and on, Check, Now start car.:lol:lol:lol
I love it. The GT checklist. Passport Radar Detector in and on, Check, Now start car.:lol:lol:lol
centerpunch
ex-GT owner x2
It seemed like a dream.
October 2004. Knowing I was crazy for the GT, old friend Don Sherman called me up and asked if I wanted to drive an early GT to Virginia with him for an article Automobile was doing.
I flew to Detroit, he picked me up in the red GT, and we took turns driving it. The next day we went to a local closed airport for photos and some testing. There were also an SLR, Carrera GT, and Murcielago. I got to drive them all.
Even ended up driving the CGT at 3 mph for the cover shot.
October 2004. Knowing I was crazy for the GT, old friend Don Sherman called me up and asked if I wanted to drive an early GT to Virginia with him for an article Automobile was doing.
I flew to Detroit, he picked me up in the red GT, and we took turns driving it. The next day we went to a local closed airport for photos and some testing. There were also an SLR, Carrera GT, and Murcielago. I got to drive them all.
Even ended up driving the CGT at 3 mph for the cover shot.
Attachments
Fast Freddy
GPS'D 225 MPH
after some spirited driving in the GT out in the boonies i went to a restaurant for lunch in town and i could not believe the scene that my car caused in public :eek
donnymac
Defered Ajudication
I blame Peak and Shelby.
First ride was in one of Peak's TTs and that did it. :biggrin
Few weeks later, Shelby delivered my 06 and real quick I racked up over 200 open road miles with no company to worry about. Absolute bug killer blast!
2 GTs and 9500 miles later, the ride is still a blast and as I tell all my friends - its my wide open ultimate therapy. :cheers:cheers:cheers
Thank you Peak and Shelby. :thumbsup
dm
First ride was in one of Peak's TTs and that did it. :biggrin
Few weeks later, Shelby delivered my 06 and real quick I racked up over 200 open road miles with no company to worry about. Absolute bug killer blast!
2 GTs and 9500 miles later, the ride is still a blast and as I tell all my friends - its my wide open ultimate therapy. :cheers:cheers:cheers
Thank you Peak and Shelby. :thumbsup
dm
centerpunch
ex-GT owner x2
GTJack
GT Owner
Two cars I always wanted when a college freshman, a 427 Cobra and GT40...either one would do...
When Ford announced they were going ahead with the GT I got the poster and had it on my office wall dreaming of the day. My wife said "No Way, one fast car is plenty (I had managed to get a CSX4000)." We were planning retirement and building our dream home and she said that we needed all our funds for that. Oh well. So for all of '05 and most of '06, I just hoped and dreamed. On September 10, my wife said if I really wanted a GT, I deserved one!
One September 16, I decided to go to Lone Star Ford with my Australian Shepherd, Chili as their internet sales showed that they had at least one GT and probably more. When I walked in, there were five. I spoke with the Internet Sales Mgr and said I was interested in a GT for a specific price (well below MSRP for an all option car) and he said "No Way." I said OK and he said "Would you like to sit in one?" and I said "OK" as I never had. After sitting in it, I was sunk, especially after he told me to start it.
I got out and said "Thanks, I have to go, it's hot outside and my dog is in the car." He asked if I was serious about the car, and I said yes, and I was serious about the offer too, and did not want to waste his time. He got me and Chili to come and we began negotiating. Long story short, I got it for $1000 over my offer. The wait as they took it back into service and checked everything out was the longest wait of my life I think.
When I walked into the dealership, it was a hot, humid, sunny day. When I walked out, it was hot, humid and raining. The salesman offered to drive Chili and my Lightning home so I could take the GT. So my first drive was in a light rain. I could have used a cupholder in the car, because my mouth was very dry as I drove home in Saturday shopper traffic. Uneventful, but lots of stares, and when I put gas in it on the way home, I had the predictable "What is that?" questions.
Next day was nice so I took it to church. On the way home, another church was letting out and two deputy sheriffs were in the road directing traffic. As I drove up, one jumped in front of the car and made me stop....to let about three cars out of the church lot. He then signalled me to go, and then rolled his hands really fast so I nailed it and then backed off. I looked back to both of the deputies "raising the roof" as I drove off.
I confess I put a lot more miles on the GT than on the Cobra. Just writing this made me antsy to go for a drive in it.....but after 9" of snow yesterday, that is not happening! Pic of my Lightning left out in driveway for a day shows it does snow at times in the Ozarks.
PS My wife really likes the car as it says it gives her a facelift without surgery.
When Ford announced they were going ahead with the GT I got the poster and had it on my office wall dreaming of the day. My wife said "No Way, one fast car is plenty (I had managed to get a CSX4000)." We were planning retirement and building our dream home and she said that we needed all our funds for that. Oh well. So for all of '05 and most of '06, I just hoped and dreamed. On September 10, my wife said if I really wanted a GT, I deserved one!
One September 16, I decided to go to Lone Star Ford with my Australian Shepherd, Chili as their internet sales showed that they had at least one GT and probably more. When I walked in, there were five. I spoke with the Internet Sales Mgr and said I was interested in a GT for a specific price (well below MSRP for an all option car) and he said "No Way." I said OK and he said "Would you like to sit in one?" and I said "OK" as I never had. After sitting in it, I was sunk, especially after he told me to start it.
I got out and said "Thanks, I have to go, it's hot outside and my dog is in the car." He asked if I was serious about the car, and I said yes, and I was serious about the offer too, and did not want to waste his time. He got me and Chili to come and we began negotiating. Long story short, I got it for $1000 over my offer. The wait as they took it back into service and checked everything out was the longest wait of my life I think.
When I walked into the dealership, it was a hot, humid, sunny day. When I walked out, it was hot, humid and raining. The salesman offered to drive Chili and my Lightning home so I could take the GT. So my first drive was in a light rain. I could have used a cupholder in the car, because my mouth was very dry as I drove home in Saturday shopper traffic. Uneventful, but lots of stares, and when I put gas in it on the way home, I had the predictable "What is that?" questions.
Next day was nice so I took it to church. On the way home, another church was letting out and two deputy sheriffs were in the road directing traffic. As I drove up, one jumped in front of the car and made me stop....to let about three cars out of the church lot. He then signalled me to go, and then rolled his hands really fast so I nailed it and then backed off. I looked back to both of the deputies "raising the roof" as I drove off.
I confess I put a lot more miles on the GT than on the Cobra. Just writing this made me antsy to go for a drive in it.....but after 9" of snow yesterday, that is not happening! Pic of my Lightning left out in driveway for a day shows it does snow at times in the Ozarks.
PS My wife really likes the car as it says it gives her a facelift without surgery.
Attachments
Sinovac
GT Owner
Blue Moose
GT
Lady's first drive
From Lady Blue Moose:
Before I tell you about my first drive, I have to tell you about getting the car. John had been looking for a ‘special’ car for a while. He and his brothers even took a day trip to Canada to look at a Boss 429, but he came home empty handed (and that is a story worth retelling – some other time). He told me he wanted me to see a Ford GT since I didn’t know what one was, and there was an exotic car dealership in Scottsdale that had a couple. When we walked in, I looked around the room and was immediately drawn to a beautiful light blue/orange/white car; I had no idea it was a Ford GT but it was love at first sight. John said that’s what we came here to see. John really liked black, but I was ga-ga- over the Heritage. We ended up getting one from Maine (again, a story worth telling another time). We had the car for about a year when John said he wanted to sell it. I told him I didn’t want to get rid of it – I REALLY liked the car even though I had not driven it. We went round and round on the issue, but - bottom line: he sold it. And, of course, he told me “it was the right thing to do”. He told me this every time I asked him about it. I seemed to be the only one who missed the car. What I didn’t know was that he was searching for another one, behind my back. Fast forward several months. I come home from a particularly long day at work; it was a Friday night. After I’d gone to bed, John woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me what I was doing on Saturday. I told him I had a hair appointment in the morning, other than that, no plans. He said ‘good, we’re going to Hawaii where he found a new Heritage. Mind you, we had had NO conversations about another GT. I had no idea he was even looking for another one. And, again, mind you this was the middle of the night – John told me the next morning that I AGREED to go to Hawaii with him to look at the car. I didn’t quite remember our little chat! But off to Hawaii we went. We were in Hawaii about 18 hours, part of it in a hotel, most of it at the car dealership. We did, however, manage to squeeze in about 3 hours of sightseeing before hopping on a plane to return home. I had never been to Hawaii before – or since! (yes, it seems criminal to me, too). So we purchased our 2nd GT and awaited delivery. There were several delays, but when we finally knew it was coming, our GT buddy Larry Pristo (AZGT) offered to host a “stork” party at his home for delivery day. We accepted his offer and invited a few friends. I would also like to make a note here that while we were waiting for the Hawaii Heritage, another opportunity came up to purchase a really special GT. The circumstances around this one are interesting, but not what this thread is about. Let me just say that we bought this other special GT, too. So now we’re waiting for delivery of 2 GTs, one from Hawaii, one from Michigan. Somehow the planets and stars aligned and both GTs were delivered on the same day within an hour of each other (it still amazes me that this happened – it was not planned)! So both cars are at Larry’s house. We have 15 to 20 friends there. When it came time to go, I got to drive the Heritage home. So for my first drive, I have an audience. I haven’t driven a stick shift in years. Never drove a sports car before, let alone something with 550 hp. It’s night time. I get in and start the engine. Everyone is gathered around. I slowly pull away – the plan is for me to go up the road, then wait for John in the other GT and we would drive home “together”. So I pull away and go down the road. Quite frankly, I’m kinda proud of myself that I didn’t stall it. I ease down the road and wait for John. When he catches up, he pulls alongside me, rolls down his window and says “Hey, babe, you left in 3rd gear.” I came back with a quick retort: “so what you’re saying is you’re doubly proud of me that I didn’t stall it!” (He wasn’t). We drove home with no further incidents; I was really amazed at how easy the car was to drive. It was really enjoyable! So as most of you know, we each have a GT. The Heritage is mine! I LOVE my car.
From Lady Blue Moose:
Before I tell you about my first drive, I have to tell you about getting the car. John had been looking for a ‘special’ car for a while. He and his brothers even took a day trip to Canada to look at a Boss 429, but he came home empty handed (and that is a story worth retelling – some other time). He told me he wanted me to see a Ford GT since I didn’t know what one was, and there was an exotic car dealership in Scottsdale that had a couple. When we walked in, I looked around the room and was immediately drawn to a beautiful light blue/orange/white car; I had no idea it was a Ford GT but it was love at first sight. John said that’s what we came here to see. John really liked black, but I was ga-ga- over the Heritage. We ended up getting one from Maine (again, a story worth telling another time). We had the car for about a year when John said he wanted to sell it. I told him I didn’t want to get rid of it – I REALLY liked the car even though I had not driven it. We went round and round on the issue, but - bottom line: he sold it. And, of course, he told me “it was the right thing to do”. He told me this every time I asked him about it. I seemed to be the only one who missed the car. What I didn’t know was that he was searching for another one, behind my back. Fast forward several months. I come home from a particularly long day at work; it was a Friday night. After I’d gone to bed, John woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me what I was doing on Saturday. I told him I had a hair appointment in the morning, other than that, no plans. He said ‘good, we’re going to Hawaii where he found a new Heritage. Mind you, we had had NO conversations about another GT. I had no idea he was even looking for another one. And, again, mind you this was the middle of the night – John told me the next morning that I AGREED to go to Hawaii with him to look at the car. I didn’t quite remember our little chat! But off to Hawaii we went. We were in Hawaii about 18 hours, part of it in a hotel, most of it at the car dealership. We did, however, manage to squeeze in about 3 hours of sightseeing before hopping on a plane to return home. I had never been to Hawaii before – or since! (yes, it seems criminal to me, too). So we purchased our 2nd GT and awaited delivery. There were several delays, but when we finally knew it was coming, our GT buddy Larry Pristo (AZGT) offered to host a “stork” party at his home for delivery day. We accepted his offer and invited a few friends. I would also like to make a note here that while we were waiting for the Hawaii Heritage, another opportunity came up to purchase a really special GT. The circumstances around this one are interesting, but not what this thread is about. Let me just say that we bought this other special GT, too. So now we’re waiting for delivery of 2 GTs, one from Hawaii, one from Michigan. Somehow the planets and stars aligned and both GTs were delivered on the same day within an hour of each other (it still amazes me that this happened – it was not planned)! So both cars are at Larry’s house. We have 15 to 20 friends there. When it came time to go, I got to drive the Heritage home. So for my first drive, I have an audience. I haven’t driven a stick shift in years. Never drove a sports car before, let alone something with 550 hp. It’s night time. I get in and start the engine. Everyone is gathered around. I slowly pull away – the plan is for me to go up the road, then wait for John in the other GT and we would drive home “together”. So I pull away and go down the road. Quite frankly, I’m kinda proud of myself that I didn’t stall it. I ease down the road and wait for John. When he catches up, he pulls alongside me, rolls down his window and says “Hey, babe, you left in 3rd gear.” I came back with a quick retort: “so what you’re saying is you’re doubly proud of me that I didn’t stall it!” (He wasn’t). We drove home with no further incidents; I was really amazed at how easy the car was to drive. It was really enjoyable! So as most of you know, we each have a GT. The Heritage is mine! I LOVE my car.
GT Tech
Ford GT Team Alumni
My first ride/drive was in an early prototype. It was an early CP car. It was July of 03. I was at the Saleen facility while we were doing our training prior to setting up the Wixom build shop.
One of the engineers, (who later became a great friend) took several of us for ride and drives. In a word, unbelievable! Having been involved in racing for many years, I had driven faster cars, but the smoothness and drive ability of the GT amazed me. My drag cars were violent beasts that slammed you in the seat, slapped you in the face, and peed on you afterwords. The GT was just so smooth and the power never seemed to stop coming on.
When we started actually building cars in Wixom, I had a chance to drive GT's around the facility, but almost as fast as we built them, they disappeared.(dam engineers) In early April 04, I had chance to spend a few hours out with PB-1-1.(yellow car now owned by a forum member) At the time, my eldest son was a service writer at a local Chrysler-Jeep dealer. When I pulled into his service drive, and asked if I could get the oil changed, the whole dealership went nuts. After 45 minutes of answering questions, I finally got to leave.
The next real big drive was a beautiful day in early May. 6 of us in 3 GT's spent the entire day (10 hours anyway), racing around Michigan. It must have been quite a sight for the unwashed to see 3 Ford GT's , in line, passing them at 130 plus mph on I-96.(actually, it was only 70 because we could get in trouble with our bosses if we broke any traffic laws):wink
The Ultimate drives for me were when I spent more than a week at the proving grounds, driving GT's around the tracks, learning the skills needed to be 1 of only 2 quality audit test drivers. Under the tutelage of Mark Magown:bow, Chris White, and that group of nuts, I experienced things that I didn't think possible(or logical) in a car.
What sticks in my mind the most tho was, as I was going very fast into a hard, semi banked, right hander on the test track, in Bill Ford's GT (#0001) was what my teacher? Chris White said to me. "If you wreak this car, they won't just fire us, they will kill us".
As many hours as I've had behind the wheel of GT's, every time I drive one, it's still like the first time.:banana:biggrin
One of the engineers, (who later became a great friend) took several of us for ride and drives. In a word, unbelievable! Having been involved in racing for many years, I had driven faster cars, but the smoothness and drive ability of the GT amazed me. My drag cars were violent beasts that slammed you in the seat, slapped you in the face, and peed on you afterwords. The GT was just so smooth and the power never seemed to stop coming on.
When we started actually building cars in Wixom, I had a chance to drive GT's around the facility, but almost as fast as we built them, they disappeared.(dam engineers) In early April 04, I had chance to spend a few hours out with PB-1-1.(yellow car now owned by a forum member) At the time, my eldest son was a service writer at a local Chrysler-Jeep dealer. When I pulled into his service drive, and asked if I could get the oil changed, the whole dealership went nuts. After 45 minutes of answering questions, I finally got to leave.
The next real big drive was a beautiful day in early May. 6 of us in 3 GT's spent the entire day (10 hours anyway), racing around Michigan. It must have been quite a sight for the unwashed to see 3 Ford GT's , in line, passing them at 130 plus mph on I-96.(actually, it was only 70 because we could get in trouble with our bosses if we broke any traffic laws):wink
The Ultimate drives for me were when I spent more than a week at the proving grounds, driving GT's around the tracks, learning the skills needed to be 1 of only 2 quality audit test drivers. Under the tutelage of Mark Magown:bow, Chris White, and that group of nuts, I experienced things that I didn't think possible(or logical) in a car.
What sticks in my mind the most tho was, as I was going very fast into a hard, semi banked, right hander on the test track, in Bill Ford's GT (#0001) was what my teacher? Chris White said to me. "If you wreak this car, they won't just fire us, they will kill us".
As many hours as I've had behind the wheel of GT's, every time I drive one, it's still like the first time.:banana:biggrin