They're a very nice bunch of people and very welcoming...
I let my membership (of the Club) lapse because it's predominantly designed for owners of replica GT40's rather than Ford GT owners.
I even wrote an article for their magazine:
"Like many readers, the blank spaces were never empty for too long. The back cover was also full. The front cover was equally defaced. I think I even made a ‘flip page cartoon’ in a geography text book, for which I was probably beaten. I could simply not stop drawing cartoons of the GT40 at school – jotters, maths books, even Agricultural Science text books would show cattle being mown down by angry GT40’s along with the occasional enigmatic phrase from a Steely Dan lyric.
‘That’ shape had always appealed, low, naughty looking, purposeful and yet graceful. Elegant and angry in equal measure – I doubt it has ever been bettered. I had to have one.
I heard through well placed sources that Ford were going to launch a recreation of the GT40 and that some lucky customers in Europe might be able to buy one. At the time my top toy was a Murcielago but I was deeply unhappy that I felt such a knob driving it – whilst it had the performance and, in truth was quite beautiful – I am not Rod Stewart, nor am I Puff Diddy MC Hammer. Getting out at petrol stations in Godalming became an exercise in bravado – it was simply too vulgar. The new Ford GT40 (as it was then called) had to be mine!
I was informed that I needed to demonstrate an association with the GT40 to secure my place on the list – easy I thought, a very distant relative discovered the vulcanisation process. Um, no, too distant. OK, I like cars and have some – hmm, not compelling enough. So after much chin rubbing I composed a decent enough letter to the powers that be at Michigan Avenue and found myself on the waiting list – only to be politely ignored/knocked off about 10 months later.
There was nothing else for it – build my own. What a complex process this seemed – daunting. I would need some oil, spanners, a couple of wheels, an engine, some rags, engine bits, light bulbs, a jack and some screwdrivers…. Forget it! Sold the Lamborghini and bought a Vanquish to quench my thirst for beauty in aluminium and tried to forget about the GT – I won’t see them on the roads, so it won’t irritate me. I let a couple of dealer friends know that ‘should you ever come across one’ I’d be interested. Fairly immediately I was offered one for the meagre price of £249,000 – I was tempted, but it was too much money for not enough car. Finally a year later, I heard of one that was coming into the UK from Las Vegas and that the buyer had dropped out. It was mine!
The waiting was awful – I sold the Vanquish as the S was just coming out and mine would soon be yesterday’s car and finally went with a pal (and a trailer as it was promising rain – come on, you can’t drive a BRAND NEW car like that in the rain) to pick it up. The sun shone and I drove it home – setting off in third gear as first is slightly spring-loaded and I assumed the spring was protecting reverse – eeek!
The GT is, to my eyes, an instant classic. Even my wife – who was sad to see the Vanquish go – said she thought that the GT evoked cars of the 60’s (d’uh yeah, that’s the whole point) ‘do you think so dear?’ I say rather meekly, fearful of the financial reciprocity that any purchase normally stimulates. I cling on to the fact that I bought Jane a brand new Subaru Forrester 9 months ago and assume she’s forgotten about the other Astons and my recent bad behaviour at the Bonham’s auction.
In terms of driving, it’s a straight line monster, just a tad under 600bhp (550 is a very conservative estimate from Ford) and armed 500 foot pounds of torque. I think it handles ‘OK’ - there’s a fair bit of suspension travel (compared to the 40’s and perhaps the Murcielago) – but the brakes are superb, which inspire confidence. The steering is neutral, more ‘pointable’ than anything else I’ve had – but it’s the linear power of the GT that always surprises, it’s like the hand of God pushing you forward. The fact that it sounds quite quiet, 98db at 4,000 rpm (according to the Fun Police at Goodwood) is the only thing that is irritating. Having stepped out of the Vanquish (for which I think the town of Petworth was deliberately designed to test the exhaust tone) and the wonderful roar it produced, the GT feels a bit muted somehow. I guess it’s a compromise and keeps the moaning minnies happy whilst they hug trees and knit yoghurt.
On the road it has instant respect – whilst a yellow Lamborghini wins an instant ‘tossss-eeerrrr!’ shouted as you drive by and an Aston gets a nod of subtle approval, the GT gets both thumbs and wild ferreting about for a camera. Having a GT in the rear mirror is disconcerting – they’re quite big (wider and lower than one might think) and rather menacing. Most traffic moves out of the way. To stay legal, there’s little point going beyond 3rd gear out of the 6 available. I have seen 195 ‘somethings’ on the clock (in a land, far, far away officer) and, unlike the Vanquish, the GT gets there rapidly. The 212mph top speed seems conservative, particularly as it’s achievable in 5th.
The GT40 Enthusiasts Club were a most welcoming bunch in Le Mans and I was very pleased to recently join the club. You’re a hospitable crowd.
There was a bit of discussion on the Forum recently about ‘would you swap your 40 for a new GT?’ Of course you wouldn’t. I didn’t create my car – I simply handed over an obscene amount of money and drove it out of a shop. The relationship is different. Would I swap my GT for a 40? Nope. But having seen the 40’s at Le Mans I’m tempted to have a 40 and a GT…… I may need to upgrade Jane’s car first…."