Ford GTs with 2004 VINs
I have VIN numbers for pre-production GTs with 2004 Model Year designations up to 4-0018, so I believe that there were probably at least 18 cars built with 2004 VINs. None of those cars were street legal or sold as cars that could be licensed or titled for street use. They are NOT counted in the production total of 4,038 cars - that number is street-legal production cars ONLY. These 2004 MY cars are factory prototypes that do not neccesarily meet Federal safety or emissions standards. Some were sold to race teams to make into race cars, some have been sold to collectors.
I researched the variance between the 4038 and 4033 production numbers some time back. There were 2,027 cars built for the 2005 Model Year, not 2,022. IIRC, I believe I found five Company cars that were production-level pool cars sent to Europe, that I believe the SVT figures do not count. My best sources say 4,038 production GTs over the two Model Years.
With regard to the "build number" - it is the same as the "Rotation number" on the second windshield sticker under the one that includes the four-digit VIN. I have VIN numbers for all 4,038 GTs produced - I have Rotation numbers for only 150 - so I don't have enough to extrapolate Rotation numbers for other cars. I checked other cars built the same day, and a couple days before Ralphies, but I do not have any Rotation numbers for any of those cars. The closest car I have to Ralphies is VIN # 5-1849, built 9/14/2005, with ROT#1794 - so, I think the SVT "build number" for Ralphie's GT, "1797" probably IS the same as his Rotation number.
If more owners were to submit their info, VIN numbers and Rotation numbers to me, we could probably learn a lot more about the sequence of the builds.
regards,
Jeff
