Sounds kinda silly, but i got happy, happy, happy today, because I got to sit in a FGT for the first time. Its at Tuttle-Click Ford in Irvine, CA, and there are no velvet ropes around it to keep you at safe drooling distance. This Ford dealership has the same ownership as the Dodge dealer where I bought my Viper, which might have helped them take me seriously, and unlock it for me. Its red w/o stripes, BBS wheels, and red calipers. Manager opened it up for me, and said "ok" when I asked if I could sit in it. What a nice guy. I was real careful not to scratch my shoes on any part of the car while getting in. I got in fairly easily, found where my feet go, and then grabbed the door handle, looked overhead to see where the roof cutout was, (so I could keep my head out of that area!), and closed the door. Sounded very, very solid, real tight like a drum. This is a very special car, high quality and well engineered, thats the way you feel while you are in it. First thing I noticed was the front hood slopes down towards the ground, and you can see the road, (or in my case, the dealerships' ceramic tile floor) very close in front of the car. Thats a stark contrast to my Viper GTS, where the hood is higher and rounder, and obscures the view of the corners of the car. In the FGT, I got the impression that I could steer it through a narrow bank teller drive through window without scraping my rims on the curbing, something a GTS is not very good at. Ok, maybe its just something I'm not very good at, but I digress.
The FGT gave me a feeling like it was a true exotic. Seats were firm but comfy, and I even had head room, which made me real happy, because I didn't know up to now, if I was gonna be able to fit in my dream car. I'm 6'3" w/o shoes, and my head had about 3/4 to 1 inch of clearance to the top of the door, which is right over your head. The door is actually concave in this area, possibly done on purpose by the Petunia team to provide more headroom for lanky types like me. (Thank you, Ford!) Whatever the reason, that concave area really helps with headroom, and no Gurney bubble is needed for this guy. The adjustable seat rack looks like it could be removed for taller guys, and the seat bolted right to the floor, if need be. Most tall guys only use the full rearward position of the seat anyway, so unless your wife wants to drive it, I see no harm in bolting the seat pan directly to the floor in the existing rack bolt holes, as long as its done neatly. Thats a question that has been on my mind for months, but it doesn't even look like its going to be neccessary now, because I actually fit in it! Hooray!
Rear visibility seemed great for a car with a huge B pillar, no problems there. Its startling to see the nose of the supercharger right behind your shoulder, but very cool. The aluminum frame stiffeners are also visible looking rearward, around the engine bay. Interior trim seems good quality, firm and well put together. Its not a F-car, its not a P-car, its not a Viper or Vette, its a Ford GT, dammit, and it kicks ass!
Getting back out, door closes with a solid click. I step in front ot lust after it for a few more seconds, and I notice that without stripes, the front end seems much wider, lower, flatter. Stripes seem to break up the lines of the car, and give it a more narrow feeling, which I don't want, but I like the raciness of stripes, so its a 50/50 deal, whether to go with stripes or not.
They said they wanted $250,000, and I tried not to snicker, because I know that this same car can be had elsewhere for $165-170,000. No need to quote fgtprices.dot com to them just now, this was just a friendly visit, and there is always time to haggle when the deal is firming up, so I let it go for now. I thanked them profusely for their hospitality, and got in my GTS, and left a happy camper for the day. The dream is alive.....
The FGT gave me a feeling like it was a true exotic. Seats were firm but comfy, and I even had head room, which made me real happy, because I didn't know up to now, if I was gonna be able to fit in my dream car. I'm 6'3" w/o shoes, and my head had about 3/4 to 1 inch of clearance to the top of the door, which is right over your head. The door is actually concave in this area, possibly done on purpose by the Petunia team to provide more headroom for lanky types like me. (Thank you, Ford!) Whatever the reason, that concave area really helps with headroom, and no Gurney bubble is needed for this guy. The adjustable seat rack looks like it could be removed for taller guys, and the seat bolted right to the floor, if need be. Most tall guys only use the full rearward position of the seat anyway, so unless your wife wants to drive it, I see no harm in bolting the seat pan directly to the floor in the existing rack bolt holes, as long as its done neatly. Thats a question that has been on my mind for months, but it doesn't even look like its going to be neccessary now, because I actually fit in it! Hooray!
Rear visibility seemed great for a car with a huge B pillar, no problems there. Its startling to see the nose of the supercharger right behind your shoulder, but very cool. The aluminum frame stiffeners are also visible looking rearward, around the engine bay. Interior trim seems good quality, firm and well put together. Its not a F-car, its not a P-car, its not a Viper or Vette, its a Ford GT, dammit, and it kicks ass!
Getting back out, door closes with a solid click. I step in front ot lust after it for a few more seconds, and I notice that without stripes, the front end seems much wider, lower, flatter. Stripes seem to break up the lines of the car, and give it a more narrow feeling, which I don't want, but I like the raciness of stripes, so its a 50/50 deal, whether to go with stripes or not.
They said they wanted $250,000, and I tried not to snicker, because I know that this same car can be had elsewhere for $165-170,000. No need to quote fgtprices.dot com to them just now, this was just a friendly visit, and there is always time to haggle when the deal is firming up, so I let it go for now. I thanked them profusely for their hospitality, and got in my GTS, and left a happy camper for the day. The dream is alive.....
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