By: IOL Motoring Staff
Cologne, Germany - Ford has opened the order book for its all-new GT high performance sports-car - but it will only accept 500 orders, for the first two years of production.
Sadly, there are no plans for right-hand drive production, so none of the 500 cars will be coming to South Africa (not officially, anyway) but the configurator is still a fascinating exercise in how colour and graphics can change the appearance of a car from mild to wild.
And this is how it works: If you want one of these exclusive 450kW berlinettas, and you are wealthy enough that you don't need to ask how much it will cost, you log on to the Ford GT website, create an account and specify your dream car using the configurator, which offers a multitude of options for colours, graphics, exterior trim, wheels, and interior finishes.
Then you save your choices, select the Ford dealership where you'd like to take delivery of your GT, and submit your application online. Approved applicants will be looked after by the new Ford GT Concierge Service.
Ford Performance global marketing manager Henry Ford III explained: “The purchase process for the GT is as unique as the car itself. We understand GT customers will be ambassadors for Ford and we want to provide them a service as distinctive as their car.”
Orders will close after just 30 days, on 12 May, and by then Ford confidently expects to have a lot more than 500 applications.
Ford says the new GT is its most advanced production car yet, featuring the latest in lightweight chassis, aerodynamics and turbocharged engine technology. It has a 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 rated at more than 450kW in a carbon-fibre bodyshell with aluminium substructures at each end, running on 20 inch rims, available in either forged aluminium alloy or carbon fibre.
The 'Liquid Blue' car in the gallery is our admittedly conservative choice of the GT we'd like to drive.