Purpose of the Ford GT

[gottacatchup]

Alright we know its an amazing performer and recaptures the alure of Ford's 60's racing. But did ford just make this car to stick it to ferarri again? Or was it just a big publicity stunt to try and get people to buy more fords.

The problem i see with this second option is that ford doesnt really have anyother major performance cars. The way it was with the corvette is that the husband would drag the wife down to look at the vette and then the wife would convince the husband to buy something else. But with the GT being so exclusive its not going to draw people into showrooms.

And if anyone says this is to get Ford into exotic sports car production dont even try. The GT will finish production and will never be made again and never in mass so that's not a valid answer. So what's the point?

[blah]

the reason the GT was made was to increase show room traffic. When people will hear that their is a GT at the dealership they will rush down to see it. You can be damn sure that to the right of it will be a new mustang and on the left a F150, both pointing towards the GT with the tires turned out to show off their wheels. Sorry went off on a marketing scheme there, but thats how i would set up my show room.

[T-Bird]

It's to get people into the showrooms.
Think about it people go into the showroom azking if they have a GT to look at and end up checking out some of the other cars and might end up buying a Mustang or something. Anyways I don't think that Ford has a problem with customers they have the best selling Pickup trucks and SUV's and they own the market for the Mustang since the Camaro is gone and Chrysler can't seem to enter that market directly.
And the thing was originally done for the 100th anniversary and got such good reaction they decided what the hell.

[gottacatchup]

I disagree, i seriously doubt that many people are going to go to the showroom to find a GT and then buy some other ford. If you're a serious car enthusiast so you care enough to find out when the GT's are going to be down there you aren't going to buy an F-150, atleast i hope you wont.

[tigerx]

^^^ not many enthusiast with over 100K$USD ^^^

ford GT also put Ford back in the supercar market.

[gottacatchup]

^^^Another reason Ford needs a 40k-50k purpose built sports car^^^

[blah]

Originally Posted by gottacatchup I disagree, i seriously doubt that many people are going to go to the showroom to find a GT and then buy some other ford. If you're a serious car enthusiast so you care enough to find out when the GT's are going to be down there you aren't going to buy an F-150, atleast i hope you wont.

we are a minority. There are more people that see the GT on cnn, and dont know the stats, and say hey hun lets go look at the Ford GT, and when they get there. The wife sees a Freestar, and goes and looks at that while the husband stares at the GT, but then his eye is eventually caught by the F150 or the Ford Mustang to the right and left of it.

[T-Bird]

also at alot of Ford dealers they sell either Roushes or Saleens possibly both in the case of one near me. And they will go and look at those cars which at that specific dealer will be in the same building as the GT (the cheapest car in that building is an SVT Focus) You have to realize that just because someone goes to look at the GT doesn't mean they won't buy an F-150 which is a really nice truck or a Mustang. And I know a guy who collects Mustangs and last time I talked to him was thinking about a GT I'll have to ask if he bought one. But anyway he bought my friends sister a Focus and his wife a Windstar, My friend got a GT convertible and his dad (the collector) drives a Ford Explorer as his every day car, Even with 7 Mustangs (which I've never seen all at once sadly)

[blah]

Well they dont have to put it with the F150 or Mustang they could set it around a bunch of saleens and Roushs. IF the Showroom is big enough you could line up 6 cars each facing each other, and then at the end of the hallway of cars a GT.

[sameerrao]

I guess Ford was getting some stick on lack of rah rah excitement on the product side. Which is why they have come out with so many new products recently - Ford GT, F-150...

[blah]

New mustang, New Sedans, the new Focus, the new Freestar, new Superduty class, im sure im missing more.

[T-Bird]

well they have it setup when you walk in there is a Lightning pointed right at you with an SVT Focus to the side of it, behind that is an S281 convertible and 281-E hardtop beyond them is a Cobra Mystichrome and Roush 380R. In a room to the side is a Cobra R and enough room for a GT next to it. At the end of that room is a door that opens to reveal the SVT transport truck. In the main Ford showroom is a Yellow Convertible Cobra and a Thunderbird between them to the left is a hallway walk down it and to the left of the service desk is another small hallway that cuts to the left immediately and widens to reveal a few more T-birds and Cobras with this funny golf-kart like thing that says FORD on it. Go past them and there is a poorly lit room with one wall lined with garage doors and on the opposite side are a few more Saleens and Roushes along with a Lightning and Harley Davidson F-150(same engine of the Lightning) occasionally there will be some more Focus SVT's thrown in where ever they fit. Outside are some more Cobra's and a used Roush 380R Hertz edition along with a few more SVT Foci (used) and in front of the building along the highway are a bitchload of new F-150's and a new Harley Davidson F-350. Right infornt of the main showroom are some Mach 1's and T-birds. and behind all that stuff between the 2 buildings are all the other cars/trucks/suvs/vans. And all the way in the back are the Work vehicles.

[blah]

thats a pretty mean setup....THe galpin ford dealer has it so that what ever car they want you to come down and see, is bieng faced by all the cars they want you to buy.

[T-Bird]

Originally Posted by blah New mustang, New Sedans, the new Focus, the new Freestar, new Superduty class, im sure im missing more.

Hybrid cars, they recently redesigned their SUV's.

[nthfinity]

why was the GT made... any number of, and many of these reasons

any true gear-head engineer would love thier name on to go down in history on one of the greatest performanced cars ever released.

Bill ford wished to have a car that ford could safely say embodies a passion, enthusiasm, and recognition with the blue oval as a hole... hence, the halo vehicle.

the GT isnt competing with anything except the standard 360 modena in Fords eyes. being better then other cars is just an added bonus (better then the 'best car in the world' is pretty good ) so competition with the corvette doesnt exist here. that is left to the mustang cobra... which is more the alternative to the corvette, then its competition.

the 'problem' i see with the GT is it isnt a showroom car... it would work wonders as one! but its popularity will likely drown out some of its halo qualities.

a future i am seeing glimpses of is a vastly growing SVT department, both as specialty vehcles of the mass product, and as the limited supercars... time will tell.

oh, and why not kick ferrari's ass once again? i think its pointless to kick sand in the eyes of some of the others while they are down ... ahem... *cough* SLR---*cough*