Your Honest Opinion

[FordGTGuy]

Does the 2005-06 Ford GT give the tribute and respect of its ancestor the Ford GT-40? Also does it stand up with the tradition of Ford vs. Ferrari?

I just wanted an answer from the actual owners and not from some kids sitting on a message board. I've been a long time fan of the Ford GT(since the debut in 2001) and the car even set the way for me to becoming a mechanic. I have faced the fact I will most likely never own one of these beasts but I will always have respect for it and Ford Motor Company for taking the financial hit of creating the car.

 

[STORMCAT]

It's the real deal. They paid tribute and built a world class car!!. An American exotic all the way!!! I'm saving for a second one!!

 

[STUNTS]

It represents American motors at its best. The only similarities it might have with the italianos super cars are the small gliches we may encounter from time to time. It is in a class of its own and I am proud to have one sitting in my garage..

 

[Neilda]

Does the 2005-06 Ford GT give the tribute and respect of its ancestor the Ford GT-40? Also does it stand up with the tradition of Ford vs. Ferrari?


Yes and yes.

Firstly it looks identical (which is a good start) secondly it is faster than the 360 (which it was designed to rival).

The engine is, of course, not the same in any way to the cars of the 1960's, however it is a powerful 'lump' with no driver aids and it rockets the car along.

The interior and exterior detailing certainly pays tribute to the earlier cars by picking up most of the design cues. In terms of power and a Ferrari beating power, yes, it does that.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Does the 2005-06 Ford GT give the tribute and respect of its ancestor the Ford GT-40? Also does it stand up with the tradition of Ford vs. Ferrari?

I have faced the fact I will most likely never own one of these beasts

As to your "tribute" question: Willie Ford II told the GT's design team that the new GT HAD TO BE BUILT in the shape of the origional GT40. Period. And they had to get all the 21st century stuff INSIDE that shape. No changes to the "shape" were allowed. The design team was ONLY allowed to do areodynamic "magic" UNDER the car ... to keep the sucker on the ground at 200+! So, the team took a 40 year old shape - with known speed limiting areo factors that COULD have been eliminated by tweeking the shape here & there - and built a NEW GT that LOOKS like the "old" one (right down to the toggle switches on the dash!). Result? The car is quicker & faster than the PRESENT Ferrari 430 - not to mention the origional Ferrari 360 "target cars" (or the Lambo Gallardo for that matter) that were available when the GT was first released. It also makes the Enzo look pretty bad @ a sticker of $600K "plus"! So, the bottom line was/is: Ford built a car that BEATS today's Ferrari stuff with what amounts to MOSTLY 40 year old wind tunnel technology ... and the car's HEAVIER than the others to boot! Soooooo, you answer your own question there, Mr. Fordgtguy!:lol :lol
To quote (badly) one of the auto press people when the new GT came out - Ford beat Ferrari on the track 40 yrs ago and today it's doing the same thing on the street.



As to your statement about realizing you'll never own one: Wise man once say:"If you think you CAN ... or, if you think you CAN'T ... you're right."

Ponder that'n! :biggrin ('Right, Kim?) ('the afore mentioned "wise man"!)


E.P.

 

[Mark O]

It represents American motors at its best.

American Motors????? No way, I thought Ford built it?!?!?!?!? :eek



:biggrin

 

[B O N Y]

yes:biggrin

 

[AZGT]

Take one of the coolest cars of all time - keep it the same but bring it into the next century. I'd love to own an original, just because. But..........if they were the same money, I'd take the new one. That's how good it is. 40 years of improvement has done a lot in the industry.

 

[canuck]

Bested Ferrari? To the degree that Ferrari has been refusing to lend a 430 for comparison tests to auto mags. That on a range of speaking volumes is, at a level of........ deafening. Tribute to the original gt40? Ford has demonstrated an unprecedented prowess in genetic manipulation with the gt and is undoubtedly a world leader in not only building cars but as of recent, spinal cord research!

 

[Spirit]

Never Ever Quite

........................... I have faced the fact I will most likely never own one of these beasts but .................

Don't buy into that way of thinking.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

If you really want to achive a goal; never ever give up on your DREAMS.

Fred


"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

 

[dbtgt]

Don't buy into that way of thinking.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

If you really want to achive a goal; never ever give up on your DREAMS.

Fred


"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

FordGTGuy, Listen to what Fred and Empty Pockets say - anything is possible if you set a goal and work toward it!:thumbsup

 

[S592R]

Your question is interesting in alot of ways. Simply put ... The New GT is a better street car than the old GT as its more useable or really the designers intended that the car be used on the street where the GT40 was intended to be a race car... and a few got a on the street. They are different ... but yet the same. The thing you have to look at also is the increase in weight that cars have gone through over the last 40 years. So if they went truly as raw as the original gt40 with the gt ... most of us frankly could not drive it without some serious race schooling. I love my Gt's ... they have a great feel ... have almost an art like quality to them. They are like a very beautiful woman ... you just have to admire them.

BUT

Ferrari has spent almost a century building a heritage ... a aura around the brand. On straight performance I feel the GT wins hands down but that Ferrari aura is hard to overcome. Time will tell if the GT gains the respect in the world that it readily deserves. Its interesting how people are in awe of it when they see one yet it is so familiar to them since its "A Ford"... which is something that I hear time and again. When I drive my Lotus people are much different when they approach it as it seems foreign ... almost alien to them ... the GT they just walk up to and want to pet like a person does to a horse in a pasture. Its funny to watch.

 

[Garrett33]

As I am sure several members on this board do or have, I own both. The Ford is my favorite of thetwo but Ferrari more of an iconic symbol. All of the cars perform great. Most of us can't drive them to their full capabilities anyway. It comes down to what you want.

Shock and awe: Lamborghini
Status: Ferrari
Value: Ford GT

 

[Empty Pockets]

Shock and awe: Lamborghini
Status: Ferrari
Value: Ford GT

'GTGUY & Garrett':
Somebody writing an article on the diff's between Ferrari & the Lambo once said (roughly),"Lamborghini is the trollop you party with all weekend ... Ferrari is the girl you bring home to Mom & Dad.":lol
I have NO idea where our GT's fit into THIS metaphor!:rofl :rofl :rofl ('Don't WANNA know either!)

E.P.

 

[Cobrar]

Does it??

Yes and Yes! :biggrin

You can feel it in your pulse as you press the start button, but even better, you can see it in the faces of those both young and old, as most know (and recall) the story behind the original when eyes meet.

Latter day Vetts, Vipers and Ferraris, all great cars, just don't bring out the emotion/passion of the GT. Camilo & J. Mays hit the target sqaure on!! Faithful re-creation of the original, executed in a contemporary fashion.

 

[GTNJ]

'GTGUY & Garrett':
Somebody writing an article on the diff's between Ferrari & the Lambo once said (roughly),"Lamborghini is the trollop you party with all weekend ... Ferrari is the girl you bring home to Mom & Dad.":lol
I have NO idea where our GT's fit into THIS metaphor!:rofl :rofl :rofl ('Don't WANNA know either!)

E.P.

"I have NO idea where our GT's fit into THIS metaphor!"
I DO !.....I DO !.....I DO !
The GT is both:banana


Oh, by the way my 80 yo Mother said my GT is adorable.:biggrin

 

[ladams1]

Own a F430 and a Ford GT

I own both and it is a difficult question to answer. I had a 2003 Modena 360 before I bought the 2006 F430 F1 a month ago. The 2005 FGT is definelty better than the 360 in every way.

The F430 is tougher competition. The FGT is faster but not by much. The F1 on the Ferrari may make the differance in a drag because it shifts in "Race" mode in 20 ms versus 200 ms for the 6 speed shift for a competant driver. Both cars feel fast but in my view the FGT has the edge. Although for the first to 30 mph the Ferrari is explosive maybe because of the dry clutch versus and oil bath clutch like the GT!

The F430 has a little better handling then the FGT. This does not mean the FGT handles poorly it is just a little more relaxed. The F430 taunts the driver and rewards the effort well! I love both cars so I cannot chose. :willy

Generally most of the supercar guys do not give much respect to the GT well lets face it it is a Ford. Once they ride or I run them their view changes. That is the Ferrari aura that Steve talked about and I agree 100%. The issue is they compare it to the Z06 Corvette (sorry no intent to offend here). The Corvette has great perforamnce numbers but has poor communication to the driver, it just feels numb. The FGT has a much better feel. I have freinds who have stables with many cars includimg Lambos, Porsche and ferraris including a freind with an Enzo. he loves his FGT not over the Enzo but likes driving the FGT better.

I almost did not go look at the FGT after driving the Corvette! I said why bother. i was working with a Porsche dealer to buy his 603 hp GT. Awesome car. The FGT is 99% as good and only $175k versus $445k. I like the FGT better not much better but better than the Porsche GT. That says alot.

Lee

 

[Fubar]

To me this is an apples and oranges question. Ford took the classic American angle on super-car, which is to say they crammed as much power (and reliability) into a meaty design as possible. Ferrari has almost always taken a more European approach by scaling back power for weight conservation. I can't say much about the 430 (I don't own one) but I imagine the car is more nimble than the GT. The Ferrari is reported to have better breaking characteristics. The Ford is massive power... overpowering power... it is WICKED!

Both of these cars have a mystic about them. It really depends on who you want to impress but at the end of the day, the only person who needs to be impressed is the driver.

 

[Shadowman]

All I can say is that it is the "REAL DEAL"

Now having stated my opinion I can also say that Ferrari and Lamborghini continue to present some awesome gals however the flavor and character within the GT is "American Muscle Car" wrapped with a history based Exotic shell. The GT appears to have been presented as a no BS and without compromise; they are truly wonderful cars.

One could not go wrong with the GT, the 360/430, or the Gallardo/Mucielago. I have been blessed to have all of them in my stable and they are all wonderful and yet none of them have captured me as much as the GT. She is truly a remarkable gal.

Takes care

Shadowman

 

[SYCO GT]

I think Ford and Pardo did an amazing job here of obtaining or even exceeding their performance goals with the Ford GT. But, they kept astonishingly close to the original image and spirit of the GT-40, even with all the technological advances and federal safety and emissions requirements.

Look at all the current and recent retro cars that didn't even come close to their predecessors. The Ford Thunderbird? The Chevy Corvette? The Pontiac GTO? I think very few other cars out there capture the performance and image of it's former self as well as the Ford GT.