Three Pre-Production Ford GT's to be auctioned at SAI in Las Vegas

[AlohaGT]

Wow! You're clearly topping Rally II. Wachagonnado for IV?

 

[AlohaGT]

These cars represent the heart and sole of the team that worked so hard to perfect the cars that we drive now.

And soul! :thumbsup

 

[TEXAS GT]

Dave, I've got a few questions about these cars to help determine their collectibility and clarify their history. It might help us figure out how big a check to bring.

These cars are serial numbered 2004 #4, 2005 numbers 37 and 45. They are all preproduction cars and are not street legal. How many preproduction cars were built and what was the first street legal vin number?

How many cars had 2004 vin numbers?

What's the physical difference in a PB-1 which looks like it started with the yellow Nardo car #37 and a PB-2 which started with the blue car #45?

How many PB-1 cars and PB-2 cars were built? From my previous paragraph I would assume there were 8 (37 to 45) PB-1 cars built.

Knowing these numbers would allow the buyer of the yellow Nardo car to state that "It's the first PB-1 car of only 8 built" and the buyer of the black car to state "It's # 4 of only ____ '04 models built". Bragging rights you know.

Knowing these stats might induce someone to bid a little more.:thumbsup

 

[Nardo GT]

Dave, I've got a few questions about these cars to help determine their collectibility and clarify their history. It might help us figure out how big a check to bring.

These cars are serial numbered 2004 #4, 2005 numbers 37 and 45. They are all preproduction cars and are not street legal. How many preproduction cars were built and what was the first street legal vin number?

How many cars had 2004 vin numbers?

What's the physical difference in a PB-1 which looks like it started with the yellow Nardo car #37 and a PB-2 which started with the blue car #45?

How many PB-1 cars and PB-2 cars were built? From my previous paragraph I would assume there were 8 (37 to 45) PB-1 cars built.

Knowing these numbers would allow the buyer of the yellow Nardo car to state that "It's the first PB-1 car of only 8 built" and the buyer of the black car to state "It's # 4 of only ____ '04 models built". Bragging rights you know.

Knowing these stats might induce someone to bid a little more.:thumbsup

I was wondering this myself. Also which ones being auctioned have a/c, airbags etc. (even though not titleable))

 

[dbk]

These cars are serial numbered 2004 #4, 2005 numbers 37 and 45. They are all preproduction cars and are not street legal. How many preproduction cars were built and what was the first street legal vin number?

How many cars had 2004 vin numbers?

What's the physical difference in a PB-1 which looks like it started with the yellow Nardo car #37 and a PB-2 which started with the blue car #45?

How many PB-1 cars and PB-2 cars were built? From my previous paragraph I would assume there were 8 (37 to 45) PB-1 cars built.

Knowing these numbers would allow the buyer of the yellow Nardo car to state that "It's the first PB-1 car of only 8 built" and the buyer of the black car to state "It's # 4 of only ____ '04 models built". Bragging rights you know.

Knowing these stats might induce someone to bid a little more.:thumbsup

Going to try and get them right now. See if I can't get the answer men over to Ford GT Forum world headquarters.

 

[dbk]

How many preproduction cars were built and what was the first street legal vin number?

There were 15 CP vehicles, there were 5 PB-1 cars, and 12 PB-2 vehicles. CP stands for Confirmation Prototype which is the level of prototype at which most of the engineering validation is completed. PB-1 is the level of prototype at which the engineering is done, and the car is nearly ready to be built, where manufacturing validation is done. PB-2 is essentially ready to go, the final level before production begins.

That's a total of 32 pre-production prototypes. Some of these cars are in museums, some were destroyed (probably 5-10 were destroyed, but I can't verify that exactly at this time), one went to Stillen, one went to GDG, 2 of them went to Saleen for manufacturing trials, Ford Racing has one of the PBs, two PB vehicles are also verifiably gone, and public affairs has at least 1 in Europe. These are the last of SVT's PB vehicles. After they are gone, they will have none left.

How many cars had 2004 vin numbers?

All 15 of the CP vehicles had 2004 VINs.

What's the physical difference in a PB-1 which looks like it started with the yellow Nardo car #37 and a PB-2 which started with the blue car #45?

There would literally be pages of differences. Most of this stuff is really detailed stuff like squeak and rattle changes, electrical, chassis changes, the magnesium cross beam, the restraint control module, the passenger mirror got moved rearward...all kinds of stuff. Lots and lots of fine tuning between PB-1 and 2.

How many PB-1 cars and PB-2 cars were built? From my previous paragraph I would assume there were 8 (37 to 45) PB-1 cars built.

5 PB-1, 12 PB-2.

Knowing these stats might induce someone to bid a little more.:thumbsup

There you go. That's what I've got for now. Disclaimer, these were all (fairly detailed) off the cuff answers so they aren't written in stone.

 

[dbk]

I was wondering this myself. Also which ones being auctioned have a/c, airbags etc. (even though not titleable))

The Nardo car does not have A/C, it was taken out after the test because they use the car for racing. The other two have A/C.

They all have airbags, but the airbags have old, non-production, non-validated deployment software, which is why these vehicles are non-street legal, non-titleable vehicles. The CP cars airbags are potentially inert.

 

[TEXAS GT]

Damn Dave, you mean there was actually somebody working at Ford on a Saturday? That's amazing. Thanks.

Now...:biggrin Where do the "test mules" as they were called fall into all this? Were they CP cars or pre-CP?

What does PB stand for, Preproduction Build, Pre-Bony, Peanut Butter....what?

 

[dbk]

I guess you could call these "test" mules in a way, but they are not like the 4.6L test mules that were running around. Those had very little in common with the cars we have today. You can see an example in Vegas at Shelby's place. They have a workhorse there with very crude body work and a 4.6L engine compared to the final product. I'm not sure what happened to those mules.

I believe PB is Pre-Build.

I'm lucky, we have a number of FGT Forum fans that live in the direct vicinity of HQ. And we have cookies and a wine store downstairs to entice them :biggrin

 

[Gulf GT]

Seems like I remember being told by some of the factory guys that some of these "pre-production" test cars experienced "accidents" on a regular basis. Any idea about these 3 cars?

 

[TEXAS GT]

Seems like I remember being told by some of the factory guys that some of these "pre-production" test cars experienced "accidents" on a regular basis. Any idea about these 3 cars?

It would be interesting to know but it really doesn't matter or affect their value. It's all part of their history.

Like the black car, it's all beat up, scratched, the dash is held on by duct tape, the engine louvers and rear spoiler are missing and God knows what else but every scratch and dent has a story. Half the fun of owning one of these cars will be documenting it's history and it's story. If it was wrecked at some point I'd want to know, not because it lessens it's value, but in order to document when, where, who and why. It would then be part of it's proud history.

After all, regardless of it's condition, it's still car number 4! It doesn't get any better than that.:thumbsup

 

[dbk]

Seems like I remember being told by some of the factory guys that some of these "pre-production" test cars experienced "accidents" on a regular basis. Any idea about these 3 cars?

I'll see what I can find out but I highly doubt that any of these three were. I know of several significant wrecks and, that I know, these weren't involved. Everyone talks quite a bit about which cars got wrecked, but more so who did it.

And if nothing else, the black CP looks like if it had been wrecked, they probably would have left it for historical purposes. :lol

 

[Nardo GT]

I'll see what I can find out but I highly doubt that any of these three were. I know of several significant wrecks and, that I know, these weren't involved. Everyone talks quite a bit about which cars got wrecked, but more so who did it.

And if nothing else, the black CP looks like if it had been wrecked, they probably would have left it for historical purposes. :lol

Did you get my PM Dave? Thanks, Chris

 

[Mark McGowan]

I remember the day that CP1 arrived at Roush. It was a big jump from the work horse prototypes we were using at the time. This was a real car, that you could get a feel for what the production units were going to be. I still remember that it did NOT have engine louvers or rear bumper cover when it came out of build.

 

[TEXAS GT]

I remember the day that CP1 arrived at Roush. It was a big jump from the work horse prototypes we were using at the time. This was a real car, that you could get a feel for what the production units were going to be. I still remember that it did NOT have engine louvers or rear bumper cover when it came out of build.

That's exactly what I was talking about. First hand historical documentation.

I just assumed that the louvers had been robbed for another car and that the bumper cover had been damaged and removed. Now we have indisputable documentation that it never came with them.

Provenance.

Thanks Mark

 

[gtjoey]

DBK Great Job!! cant wait till we get out there.:thumbsup Guys the alure of these are that they are test mules..... there jobs,as stated was testing , safety, reliability etc. love the relief valves and all, streetable? who cares:thumbsup this is for a museum, a posterity lover a caretaker for the 22nd century :thumbsup another words a big paper weight to enjoy right before they cut the oxygen tube off you when your ready to go.....IM FILLING MY OXYGEN TANK RIGHT NOW :biggrin SO LET THE BIDDING BEGIN! GTJOEY 1314 . PS. DBK I have you right , theres no pre sign up fee ect. forms ,were memnbers ect. :thumbsup thanks gtjoey 1314

 

[PeakCompletions]

GREAT JOB DBK AND FORD!!!
WOW!!!

What a special opportunity to own a piece of real history!

 

[dbk]

PS. DBK I have you right , theres no pre sign up fee ect. forms ,were memnbers ect. :thumbsup thanks gtjoey 1314

I don't anticipate any kind of pre-qualification but if you bid and win the bidding I am positive SVT and Les will have some type of binding on the spot non-refundable deposit!

 

[dbk]

Did you get my PM Dave? Thanks, Chris

Replied to your email the other day. You're good.

I remember the day that CP1 arrived at Roush. It was a big jump from the work horse prototypes we were using at the time. This was a real car, that you could get a feel for what the production units were going to be. I still remember that it did NOT have engine louvers or rear bumper cover when it came out of build.

Excellent!

GREAT JOB DBK AND FORD!!!
WOW!!!

What a special opportunity to own a piece of real history!

Now who here doesn't own a blue one? :wink

 

[B O N Y]

Seems reasonable. I need to start the bidding on the Nardo beast at $170k