Ford GT supercar coming to Canada

[rshelby]

Ford GT supercar coming to Canada
Chris Vander Doelen
Windsor Star
July 12, 2005

Ford of Canada has announced with some pride that it will finally begin selling its "Ford GT supercar" in Canada.

They're calling it a supercar because the company let the trademark rights to the name GT40 slip away.

The GT is a modern reworking of the mid-engine GT40 which Henry Ford II commissioned in 1966 to get even with Enzo Ferrari for refusing to sell his company.

Ford's revenge was highly successful, with the car finishing an astonishing 1-2-3 at the 24-hour LeMans, giving the Europeans the same kind of bloody nose Lance Armstrong has been delivering lately in another wheel sport.

But the GT is, nonetheless, a bona fide supercar if ever there was one: it has a supercharged 550-horsepower V-8 in an all-aluminum racing frame and sufficient ground effects to allow it to achieve a top speed of 330 km/h without going flippin' airborne.

The car has been for sale in the U.S. since last August, but supplies have been limited and there weren't enough to satisfy Canadian demand in addition to the drooling American enthusiasts lined up with their chequebooks open.

That changes next year, says Ford of Canada president and CEO Joe Hinrichs, when 200 specially customized GTs will be sold in this country.

Hinrichs says requests for the car from Canadian enthusiasts has been "overwhelming. Now their dreams have come true."

If they have $200,000, that is. That's the estimated price, according to Ford spokeswoman Lauren More.

The GT is a true collector's car. Ford plans on building only 1,500 GTs by 2007, when it will no longer meet emissions standards and can no longer be sold.

(Word is the GT could be superceded by the Shelby Cobra based on the same chassis.)

In order to meet Canadian vehicle standards, the GT's bumpers have to be modified to withstand a slightly higher low-speed crash (8 km/h), its gauges must be replaced with bilingual metric/imperial measures, daytime running lights have to be rigged and all written materials translated.

That's quite a bit of expensive work for only 200 cars. Ford will probably barely break even on them, despite the lofty sticker.

http://www.canada.com/national/natio...6-1e0304fb6c1b