It has been brought to my attention that the Carbuzz “article” listed in the Post #1 link written by Mr. Jay Traugott is not really an offer to sell. I launched into my above documentation of this CP-1 car based on zach05855’s characterization “Ford GT Prototype CP-1 for sale” and the follow up comment by nautoncall asking “Wonder what it will sell for?”. Actually Mr. Traugott does state in his article “So how would you feel about owning the 2004 Ford GT prototype? Oh yes, please! Now it’s for sale, courtesy of Exotic Classics in New York.” So he does mention the vehicle is for sale by a dealer in the home state of Mr. Limongelli, one of the group of original owners.
So perhaps Mr. Traugott’s article should not be held to the same level of vehicle description accuracy as an offer to sell by the individual owner. The actual Exotic Classics advertisement to-sell does have a number of accuracies, and inaccuracies.
• “The preceding red, white and blue centennial prototypes were non-runners, built for exhibition only. This car, with VIN 004, was the first prototype fitted with a full drivetrain and interior.”
Unfortunately, not true. Having actually attended the Ford 100 year centennial celebration at Dearborn specifically to see the new 2005-2006 Ford GT, I did get see the three new GT’s on display (red, white (Bill Ford’s personal vehicle) and blue) which were termed within the Ford team as Jobs 1, 2 and 3. At the World Headquarters GT display, I asked Kip Ewing (who I did not know at the time) if one could be started up which he kindly obliged to a welcoming crowd of enthusiasts. J1, J2 and J3 were fully functioning cars with drive-trains and were used later in the day to drive onto Beyonce’s stage prior to her concert. See pages 31-33 of the Ford GT, Team History book for pictures of the cars being driven at the Centennial Celebration.
• “In 2008, CP-1 was purchased from Ford by a respected GT collector and author of the definitive book on the reborn Ford GT.”
Although the 2008 purchase date information is accurate (actually Saturday, September 13, 2008 was the auction date) as stated in my earlier post, the car was sold to a consortium of three individuals (not one). And it is unclear how if one of the owners now offering CP-1 for sale, presumably helped write the vehicle sale description and wrote “the definitive book on the reborn Ford GT” would not know J1, J2 and J3 were fully functional GT’s.
• "The engine compartment on CP1 is fitted with a carbon fiber rear clamshell that dramatically reduced curb weight. However, when Ford execs learned that each clamshell would cost approximately $45,000 to produce, the idea was scrapped in favor of a more traditional, and far less expensive, aluminum tub."
This topic was covered earlier. The clamshell on the production GT is a two piece aluminum exterior with a Sparta Composites Carbon Fiber (CF) interior. See pages 75 and 106 of the Ford GT, Team History book. Again it is unclear how description/discussion of the clamshell morphs into talking about an “aluminum TUB”? Typically the “tub” of a vehicle is the interior structure to which the seats are affixed and appendages extend forward and aft to support the suspension components. The new 2016 Ford GT will have a CF tub.
• "While CP1 has a fully functional powertrain, and the car has a 17-digit VIN, prior to the sale in 2008 Ford engineers installed a chip in the engine to limit top speed to 5 mph. The car is sold on a bill of sale."
True. However, the sale description makes no mention of the Ford liability waiver documents the new owner will be required to execute.