Canadian GT and Hood

[GD2006]

Hi all,

I have been contemplating ordering a GT, dealers are telling me i can only get one after sebtember... They had on in the showroom but i have my heart set on white, blue stripes no options. Dealer is also telling me Canadian cars have a different front hood, he showed me how the new hood was smooth on the inside? ? He claims he has seen US cars and this hood is much nicer.... I thought the main diff was the rear bumper, reinforcements, diff exhaust look due to bumpers and speedometer... Does anyone know anything about this, please post pictures of the inside of your hood so i can compare. I will try to go back with a camera to explain better.

Thanks, cant wait to really be part of this club ! .

Tony

 

[fjpikul]

Well said Centerpunch!

 

[Not 4N]

The production run for the last 100 Canadian cars starts in Sept. after the regular production run concludes in Aug. so delivery won't be until Oct.
My understanding when I ordered mine is that the difference is in the nose section and not the hood. The U.S. versions have a 5mph (8kph) crash rating on the bumpers and nose. Canada calls for 10kph rating in this area which is why the rear bumper was modified and the nose was filled with foam. This is why the Macintosh stereo is not available as this is the weight saving measure implemented to offset the added weight of the bumper mods, must be a heavy sound system.
Since this is a government regulation on new vehicles it does not effect anyone moving here and bringing their car.
A good example is Mitsubishi which was not allowed to export to Canada until about 5 years ago - when they complied with these rules.
I think these rules are a bunch of :bs but that's politics.

 

[GD2006]

Thanks for the input, I felt this did not make sense, but the sales manager was stating he personally saw a US car and these were diff. Not that this makes a difference in ordering one or not, vbut it still bothers me he is making these statements, are any pictures available on someone's site

Tony

 

[CanuckGT]

Different Hood for Canadian Cars

Not4N has it right - there is no difference in the hood on my "Canadian" car from those that I have seen in the U.S. The only difference is the bumpers. Even the speedometer is the same as the U.S. cars, it is in mph (with smaller numbers for kilometers per hour) and the odometer remains in miles.

One thing you should be aware of is that according to a Ford Canada memo I was provided with, the 100 "second wave" cars to be built in September wil not be eligible for export to, or registering in the United States due to the amendments to the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards effective August 31. Not really an issue if you plan to keep the car but it limits your market quite a bit if you can't sell to the US. I was also told by my dealer that there may be another 64 cars coming to Canada, bringing the total to 264 rather than the 200 that was originally planned.

 

[SkyMan]

Is everyone getting Tungsten with silver stripes up here? :lol

I have one on order too!

 

[GD2006]

So i got more ...

Well the sales guy called me, and i apperently misunsderstood :confused .
He says, the hoods look the same on the outside, exept his hood is not Fiberglass. Apparently a freind of his is coming up for a track event from Vermont in a few weeks with his US car and he will show me the diff with both cars. He says I'll undersatnd the diff when both cars have their hoods open next to each other. He said he personally noticed the second they got the car up here.

I asked if this one had a carbon fiber hood like the GTX1... he did know for sure. But he'll call Ford Canada to find out.

Trust me i'll have my camera.

Tony

 

[GD2006]

So they showed me pictures, of the 2005 GT US car the inside of the hood is definetely different. The Canadian car has a much nicer interior of the hood, they are both black but textured differently. it must have been an change along the line.... I gotta appreciate the knowledge and attetntion this sales guy knows about the car....

The owner of the 05 is coming up June 24th, is it anyone on this forum ? All i know is he lives in Vermont and has a white/blue striped car. i'll be able to see it then and see if there are any other difference. Dealer is now looking to allocate me a car for a second batch of deliveries expected later on this year....

Thanks again for the imput, for sure i'll need more help as i close this deal

Tony

 

[K-P Garage]

underside of the hood

That is true about the front hood. When I was at Saleen in March they said they had a new supplier or process and they showed me the underside of the new hood. It is smoother than the prior ones. You cannot tell from the outside when the hood is shut. It is part of the effort to improve and refine the car as production has progressed. Sometimes that makes a difference and sometimes not. The nose section of the Canadian cars does have a heavier piece contained within it for crash standards than the American spec cars. The rear bumper is obviously different.
Most dealers do not know what Ford is actually doing on these cars and have not known throughout the entire process. There are exceptions however that has been my experience since I ordered a car in June 2003.

 

[Gene Cassone]

GD2006

I suspect you live in the Montreal Area. I live in Plattsburgh. I was just up in Montreal having the Llumar coating applied to my car. If you are interested in taking a drive down to see a US spec version let me know.

 

[GD2006]

Thank you for the offer, does anyone have a list of changes made to the car over the year... is the new one lighter in weight ? should we really care, you cant tell from outside, but still fun to know the behind the scenes story....

 

[GD2006]

Well i saw the two cars... wow what a site. To setle the debate it is true, there are two versions of the hood. Later build cars have a revised hood. Difference is noticeable when you pop the hood, build quality is much better. According to owner the new hood is more resistant to sun and heat but weight should be the same. Well after one hour all my questions were answered about these cars plsu road test ! again wow.... heading to dealer this week to lock my order in. Apperetnly september will be my build date.

Thanks again .

T.