Never said I was a licensed driving instructor or raced superbikes. I have no idea where that is coming from?
Don't own or sell Ferrrai's probably never will. Not impressed with current Mercedes cars quality or service. Think the current Vette and Vipers are far superior cars for the road racing purposes S. Cal. Rebell needs.
Not a troll just of average height about 50 years old thanks for asking.
Won't disrespect any member of this forum and resort to returning the insults hurled at me.
Here is my complete FGT history since it seems to be of interest to some on this sight.
When I read about Ford building the car I went down to my Ford dealer where I or the folks that work for me and that I personally brought in to this dealership purchased over 40 cars in a four year period. Not including the Bullitt, 04 Mach 1 and 03 SVT Cobra I purchased for my Ford collection. I was told that the owner and his son were getting the first two FGTs and that the third was sold to Sammy Hagar who had never purchased a car from this dealership before. I said OK sell me the fourth one you get. They said fine it's yours as long as I agreed to pay 50K over MSRP which when I complained they were a little flexible on. But no deal was consumated since I wouldn't pay a penny over MSRP.
The first one arrived in 05 and the owner took delivery and immediately had problems with the car. As a matter of fact the car spent over a month in the owners service department. The service manager who is a friend of mine was pulling his hair out he was so upset at Ford for their lack of support in resolving all the problems. The car was now offered to me at 25K over MSRP to which I declined.
This dealers second FGT was delivered a few months later and the owners son took delivery and subsequently took me for a ride and after spending about a half hour in the car my impression and his was that the car was a dog when considering it was reputed to have 550 HP. After getting out of the car I noticed the car was leaking oil from the rear of the engine. There wasn't a doubt in my mind my GT2 or Viper would have beaten that FGT and as matter of fact the owner declined to find out and agreed with me. I later saw the car in the service area getting the main seal replaced, the control arms replaced and some electrical problems addressed. That FGT spent well over a month in the service department while the service manager battled with Ford about getting some help with the car.
One of my neighbors bought a 2005 Ford GT from out of state and one of the hoses or clamps sprung a leak and antifreeze spewed out all over the inside of the engine compartment on the way home from taking delivery. Luckily the dealer had some integrity and picked him up and towed the FGT back to the dealership. I was able to ride and drive this Ford GT and also felt like it was a dog. The owner did some light mods and a supertune and it ran much better. He has had few if any troubles since then. His car ran at 448 HP at the rear wheels before the mods and supertune. Over 550 now.
Some time during all this drama one of the major auto magazines ran an editorial wherein he outlined all the early problems Ford was having with the FGT program including replacement of control arms as well as problems with rear mainseal problems etc.and assembly line issues that lead to some changes in management at the plant.
At this point needless to say I was not a buyer for a FGT despite the fact I bleed Ford blue, have a decent Ford collection and both my wife and I drive Ford trucks as daily drivers.
However a good friend in the midwest who is a car collector, car broker, driving instructor and ASE trained mechanic was able to order a new FGT at dealer cost through the efforts of a friend of his who is employed high up in Ford. I was most interested in his opinions because I knew him to be objective and probably the most knowledgeable car guy I have ever known.
On his way home after taking delivery of his 2006 FGT built in May of 06 I think? His second call was to me complaining about what a dog the car was. His first call was to the dealer who told him to relax it will get faster after a break in. Faster being a relative term I suppose. His car turned 441 HP at the rear wheels and proceeded over the next few weeks to have an antifreeze leak, rear mainseal leak, transmission leak and an assortment of other problems including a drivers seat that was not fully bolted to the floor.
He was able to have two Ford FGT field techs come out and resolve most of the problems but they did have to take the car to the dealership for a few weeks.
I was fascinated by this field tech program and assumed he was getting this treatment because of his Ford connection? My friend advised me that this FGT field tech program was available to all with nothing but a phone call. Taking this with a grain of salt I asked around and verified the program did in fact exist. Prior to buying my Ford GT my selling dealer confirmed the existence of the program. I was quite frankely surprised when the Ford coldline informed me it was a figment of my imagination.
My midwest friend went on to spend about 7500 on mods for his FGT and after driving it I had to have a FGT! His car was an absolute rocketship with a fantastic new exhaust sound with the Ford headers now in place. It was clearly faster than my Carrera GT and cost a whole lot less. HP at the rear wheels was now up to 650. He had resolved all the quality control issues and now really enjoyed his car.
Upon taking delivery of my FGT I shared the same opinion of most every FGT owner I have personally met and spoke to , that the car in stock configuration is a dog. Just my opinion. I haven't yet met a FGT owner who thinks differently. The lack of power didn't concern me since I knew from first hand experience what tremendous potential the FGT had. So I planned to drive my FGT as much as possible to put as many miles on it as quickly as possible to get the HP up where it needs to be. Although I have no idea who I can get out here to do a supertune. Unfortunately the car after sitting for a few days just doesn't want to start. At first we thought it was the blower motor which had mysteriously come on while parked in the garage, then we replaced the battery even though it seemed to be fine. Still no resolution and I am afraid to drive the car very far and park it for fear it won't re-start. My local Ford service manager has been fantastic and par for the course is getting little or no help from Ford. I have privately emailed members of this forum who claim to be connected with the program and received no reply. I am no longer pissed off and am now bemused and plan to park the FGT next to some of my other Fords until someone comes along who can figure it out.
As I said I own many Fords both new and old. I enjoy my 2003 SVT Cobra but also think it is a real dog in stock configuration and find the power only in the upper ranges of the RPM powerband. But realize there is a ton of potential inside that motor. I have driven both a prototype and new 2007 Shelby/SVT Mustang and don't think either is faster than my 03 SVT Cobra and think at 4000 pounds they handle like a sled. I have driven both the current generation Viper and Z06 Vette. Both seem like the real deal to me and for half what a FGT cost.
Asked for my opinion about a car I am familiar with I will give an honest answer based on my experiences and observations. The fact that I have elected to only post on this forum 22 times does not lessen the accuracy of my observations.
My opinion of the FGT is that like most cars it has strong points and weak points. It's styling is breathtaking perhaps the finest looking car ever to come out of Detroit? Fun factor(when it starts) is huge. Quality control is poor. Fit and finish is inconsistent. Road racing potential is poor. It is only a two year production car it is not a well sorted out track car in comparison to Vettes or Vipers who have dedicated factory support for track use.
For you guys to recommend to a prospective FGT buyer with an extensive road racing history that the FGT is a suitable track car is disingenous IMHO. It is a great and somewhat rare weekend car for driving enthusiasts and collectors. But well sorted out road racer it is clearly not. It is also not a car with a strong history of quality control. It is a car that requires a lot of tough love and patience in my opinion.
