Emotions will be running high when the final Ford GT rolls off the assembly line next month in Wixom, but “lessons learned from the halo project will benefit the company for years to come,” the automaker said today. “When Bill Ford asked SVT to deliver the Ford GT in time to support our centennial celebration, it was to demonstrate to the world and to ourselves that we can build great products,” said Advanced Product director Hau Thai-Tang. “I think this will be the greatest legacy of the Ford GT. It is the most technologically advanced and most capable car that we have ever put into production. It is the ultimate expression of our creative design excellence, technical know-how and rich heritage.”
“It’ll be a bittersweet moment for our team. We have always intended the GT to be a low-volume car with a limited production run to ensure exclusivity,” said Thai-Tang. “We hope to someday have another chance to do a similar program like the Ford GT. In the meantime, the team will take great satisfaction in knowing that we’ve delivered the greatest American performance car ever.”
“I’d like to see it go on for another year or two, but I’m content. I’ve learned a lot from this program,” said Camilo Pardo, who designed the GT. “It has been a complete experience, from the initial sketch to the development of the concept and then walking that concept car through to production.
“You can’t imagine,” said engineering manager Fred Goodnow. “I’m at the twilight of my career, and the GT has been the fulfillment of a dream.”
Concept to production in 15 months
Engineering, tooling, producing and assembling the vehicles within 15 months was an enormous challenge, however, since it normally takes up to 52 months to bring a new vehicle through to fruition.
“It was insanely fast,” said Camilo Pardo. “Yet those cars were put together very carefully by hand and their objectives were solid enough and dependable enough that we could give the keys to a journalist, let him drive it around the track and say that this was our production car.”
“We had a very small, highly skilled and specialized workforce – designers, engineers and suppliers — working together in a very close environment to develop a car that met all the customer and regulatory standards in a fraction of the time by stretching the envelope,” said Goodnow. “No decisions were second-guessed, either by the team or by management. And that gave the team the drive and the passion to proceed forward to get it done.”
Goodnow says the GT project also proved that crash modeling can be done effectively in the virtual world.
“The correlation between our virtual crash modeling, which had never been done before, and what we saw on the real prototypes when we crashed real cars was uncanny,” he said. “This is a direct benefit to future Ford cars because it saves a huge amount of time and money. Workhorse prototypes can cost more than a half a million dollars, and we didn’t do any for crash.”
08/11, 11:42 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
Yeah because we all know that Clackson is the utmost authority when it comes to everything automotive. You people cling to opnions like there fact. Wake up and think for yourself propaganda brainwashed morons.
08/11, 11:48 AM
posted by:
Z
A lot of people rag on the GT since it was a Ford, and not the greatest of quality.
That really doesn’t matter, considering the history of the GT. As the GT40, it defeated the seemingly invincible Ferraris in Le Mans, three years in a row.
The new GT beat out the Ferrari in its class, not necessarily in refinement or mannerisms, but in outright ability. Which is what the car was designed for. It was a modern-day American muscle car, but with supercar performance. It was fast and mean, and its owners didn’t really care if it wasn’t as refined as a Ferrari. That wasn’t the point.
Ford proved it could build a supercar that can take on the world. With the possible release of a faster Z06 Corvette, Ford may do it again.
08/11, 11:59 AM
posted by:
Jay
Aside from interior, the GT was of great quality. The interior was not made to be extremely comfortable, remember this is a 205 mph car we’re all talking about.
Also remember this is the car that beat the almighty FERRARI!!!!!! Ford should do it again this time with an even better interior and faster!
08/11, 12:03 PM
posted by:
Barry
I cant believe there gonna stop making it…..That thing was such EYE CANDY!
08/11, 12:06 PM
posted by:
gg
For Z “With the possible release of a faster Z06 Corvette, Ford may do it again” Get your facts straight Ford and GM are not the same company, so there for Ford can’t do it again because they do not own chevy, gm, or the corvette.
08/11, 12:06 PM
posted by:
Bertha Venation
I can’t wait for my 599 to arrive, so long suckers
08/11, 12:08 PM
posted by:
Greg
…it was to demonstrate to the world and to ourselves that we can build great products…
This is one of the most idiotic statements I have ever heard, and it’s coming from World’s number 2 (oh yah, already 3) automaker. What does it mean? We can build good cars, but we don’t, instead we build crap and 6000 pound trucks?
I like GT, it’s a real driver’s car. I think Ford is doing a correct move, since this car has to be limited in all terms, it’s not a Mustang!
08/11, 12:19 PM
posted by:
stuart
But ferrari f430 came out later that year and kicked its ass
08/11, 12:23 PM
posted by:
ramrod003
You really think that Clarkson would say that his new $150,000+ car is a piece of **** if it wasn’t true. Here is a nice article about all of the problems with the GT.http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/9519/at-ford-a-supercar-delivers-a-super-headache.html
08/11, 12:23 PM
posted by:
tony
can anyone remind me how much the GT was selling for?
coupe and/or convertible
08/11, 12:27 PM
posted by:
ramrod003
Dealers were selling them for as much as $220,000.
08/11, 12:46 PM
posted by:
BB
I was also going to quote that Car and Driver article on the Ford GT (beat me to the punch Ramrod003, thanks). When I read it, I was laughing in disgust because this project was shoved through the door (by the SVT director at that time) and the manufacturing fiascle the followed was laughable.
“It is the most technologically advanced and most capable car that we have ever put into production. It is the ultimate expression of our creative design excellence, technical know-how and rich heritage,” Ford says. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT CORPORATE BS IS THAT?
1. If that’s the best technologically you can do, then you don’t deserve to be in the top 3; the other boys have got you beat in the tech dept.
2. Creative design? The automotive design world is snickering in the background because J. Mays team can’t come up with anything original in the 21st century. I don’t call retro creative. You guys aren’t designers, you’re INKERS (see Clerks I movie to get the joke)
3. Rich Heritage? I’ll give Ford credit for kicking the field’s ass with the GT40. But that was waaaay back in the 1960s. Tell me again, besides NASCAR, how “rich” you guys have been since then? Formula 1? CART? LeMans? Hmmm. No. Then I don’t see any heritage there. Racing and winning improves the breed and you guys haven’t done anything significant in the last 30-40 years.
For $150K MSRP or $200K dealer markup I would NEVER tolerate such assenine problems. Read this article again folks.
GT HEADACHE ARTICLE: http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/9519/at-ford-a-supercar-delivers-a-super-headache.html
No way a GT follow up will make it to production again, especially with the finance crunch they’re in.
08/11, 12:55 PM
posted by:
Z
GG, I said they “may do it again” as in “they may build another car like the GT.”
Where you got that I said Ford owns part(s) of GM, I have no idea.
08/11, 12:58 PM
posted by:
pj
To gg—> For Z “With the possible release of a faster Z06 Corvette, Ford may do it again” Get your facts straight Ford and GM are not the same company, so there for Ford can’t do it again because they do not own chevy, gm, or the corvette.”
He was not saying they are the same comany. The ford GT was competition to the old z06 he was saying with a new z06 coming ford will have to build something to compete with it. not that ford builds the z06. learn to read
08/11, 2:15 PM
posted by:
hal
The GT is fantastic but Ford needs to prove it can build a fantastic family car not a supercar.
My guess is they get a better “halo effect” from competing in events like WRC or Nascar.
08/11, 3:46 PM
posted by:
The Stig
Clarkson owns a Ford GT. Imagine that.
08/11, 4:42 PM
posted by:
Marshall
Hey Z, the GT40 beat those crappy Ferraris 4 years in a row, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.. with both the 289Ci and 427Ci engines.. same as the AC Cobra, since both the Cobra and GT40 were both made with the help of Caroll shelby.. and us English people
(the bodies for the Cobra and GT40)
08/11, 7:43 PM
posted by:
Foster
This is for The dip **** whose posted commint number 1
Clarkson BOUGHT ONE
08/12, 6:19 AM
posted by:
Carnut4ever
I hope Ford still has leftover cash for the next Ford supercar- the production Ford Shelby GR-1to drum up sagging morale of the company much like what the Camaro is doing for GM. They need a real competitor for the Corvette.
08/13, 3:23 PM
posted by:
MM
The Ford GT was a really cool car, and it’s sad that it’s going away. Now Ford lacks a Z06 competitor. I would have taken mine in red with white stripes. Anyone where you can get a model car of it?
08/14, 6:19 AM
posted by:
Carnut4ever
Get the Ford GT of Autoart in 3 variants. Red with white stripes, White with blue stripes, and yellow with black stripes. But I think the one to get is the Ford GT concept racing edition as featured in Gran Turismo also by autoart. You wont believe the detailing and it is money well spent.
08/14, 7:30 AM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
RE: Clarkson and the GT – he knows it’s **** in terms of things that go wrong – and there are obvious issues with using it daily… doesn’t mean he doesn’t love it…
08/19, 12:48 AM
posted by:
Justin
FORD-GT… Kicks ferrari family ASS.