Ferrari never made a cheap, sensible car. Everything that has ever passed through those iconic Maranello gates has been a prestigious machine with racing in its blood. Yet, the value-focused mover of the people – Ford – once developed a machine so special, it wiped the floor with Ferrari four times over on its home turf.
Then, around four decades later, Ford did it all again, but this time with a carefully crafted production model, designed to celebrate 100 years of Ford in impeccable style. Here’s how the Ford GT once again put Ferrari in its place.
Ford Decided To Celebrate In Style
Birthdays are a big occasion, and 100th birthdays especially so. Residents of the UK get a card from the King for their 100th birthday, but in the United States, automakers celebrate with a little more than just a card. In Ford’s case, it decided to build a show-stopping supercar, continuing the lineage of perhaps the most famous racing car of the 21st century.
The GT is the car in question, and the official unveiling came just before the Blue Oval’s birthday celebrations, at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In 2003, a trio of pre-production prototypes was on display during official centenary celebrations, and the model eventually debuted for the 2005 model year.
Production lasted only two model years – 2005 and 2006. Over those two years, Ford built only 4,038 examples. The number wasn’t exclusive in the Pagani or Koenigsegg sense, but the run was small enough to ensure the GT always felt special. Pricing kicked off at $139,995, and by all accounts the GT sold remarkably well. A fair share of enthusiasts were clearly all too keen to celebrate the centenary alongside Ford, reaching deep into their pockets to take home the storied automaker’s very first purpose-built supercar.
It doesn’t take a scholar of automotive history to connect the dots and realize the GT celebrates more than just 100 years of Ford. It also acts as a modern interpretation of the iconic 1960s Ford GT40 – the Ford that did battle with Ferrari in Europe and came home victorious. Similarities between the 2005 GT and the GT40 include, but are not limited to, roof-cut doors, a mid-engine layout (enabling that sensational silhouette), and many aesthetic tweaks, from the lights through to the functional cooling ducts and clamshell rear engine compartment.
The theme continues inside, too, as the GT’s cabin closely mimics the original with toggle switches galore, a wide, driver-focused instrument panel, and distinct ventilation grommets built into the seat pattern. Ford did far more than just slap some retro-themed elements onto a modern sports car in an effort to make a quick buck from some clever 100-year-anniversary marketing ploy. Instead, the company developed a 1960s endurance racer from the ground up, with 21st-century supercar technology.
Ford Takes On Ferrari Once More
Side shot of a 2005 Ford GT with doors and clamshell hood openFord1999 – 2005 Ferrari 360 Modena exteriorFerrari
The original GT40 is known the world over for bringing victory at Le Mans to Ford, not just once but four years on the trot, humbling Enzo himself at his own game. Now, while the GT was developed as a celebration of a momentous Blue Oval achievement, it also indirectly reignited the age-old Ford vs. Ferrari battle.
In the early 2000s, Ferrari was very much at the top of the supercar tree, and the space was far less saturated than it is today. The 360 Modena, as Ferrari’s first truly daily-friendly supercar, was just lining up for retirement as the GT launched. It was a handsome mid-engine V8 supercar with a price tag starting around $150,000. In its place came the F430, which still followed the same midship V8 recipe, just with more power and precision, sporting an MSRP again just ever-so-slightly north of $150,000.
Along came the GT, with its indisputably important place in Ford’s history books, looks to kill, and a price tag that was $10,000 more affordable. The GT’s baked-in exclusivity also enticed buyers. Ford built only 4,038 examples, while Ferrari churned out over 17,500 of the 360, and the F430 was similarly popular. Oh, the Blue Oval made sure its striking new flagship boasted more than enough grunt to once again light the faces of Ferrari bosses up a bright Rosso Corsa red in embarrassment.
How Ford Looked To Humble Ferrari’s Lineup
2005 Ford GT engineFord
Under the rear-hinged clamshell of the Ford GT sat a mighty 5.4-liter V8, and for good measure, Ford equipped it with an intercooled Lysholm twin-screw supercharger. It produced 550 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 500 lb-ft of torque, peaking much earlier at 4,000 rpm. The output went exclusively to the rear wheels, via a slick six-speed manual transmission.
With a capable driver at the helm, the GT can crack 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.3 seconds. Should the driver keep their foot to the floor, a quarter-mile can be in the rearview mirror in just over 11 seconds. The thunderous supercar doesn’t stop accelerating until it hits a truly impressive 205 mph top speed.
Compare that to the performance of Ferrari’s then-new flagship mid-engine supercar of the day, the F430, and the GT looks even more impressive. The Prancing Horse needs another half-second to reach 60 mph, and requires between a half-second and a full second longer to get a quarter-mile between it and the starting line. Plus, it runs out of puff 9 mph sooner. All for around $11,000 more, too.
The 21st Century GT Proved Capable On The Track
2005 – 2006 Ford GT – front 3/4 angleFord
Ford didn’t stage a full factory-backed racing effort for the GT like it did with the GT40 in the 1960s. However, the car achieved some motorsport success courtesy of privateer and manufacturer-supported teams. Most notably, the Swiss racing team Matech Concepts found success in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The team took overall victory in the 2008 season, and then went on to take some individual victories in the GT1 class during the 2010 season.
Roberston Racing enjoyed success in the American Le Mans Series, and even managed to achieve a podium spot in the GTE-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2011, taking the GT back to its spiritual home. Of course, the generation of GT that followed found much success on the track as well, further cementing the GT’s lineage as one of the most impressive and successful in Ford’s illustrious back catalog. The next-gen GT took victory in 2016, 60 years on from the GT40’s inaugural Le Mans win, and a return to the hallowed ground in 2027 sees the old Ford-Ferrari rivalry ignited once more.
It’s The Blue Oval Which Collectors Covet Today
2005 Ford GT driving mountain road dynamicFord
A quick look at recently sold examples of both Ford GTs and its contemporary competition proves that the Blue Oval flagship is the one which has aged the sweetest. Cherished examples regularly change hands for around $700,000, with truly remarkable examples easily exceeding $1 million. An 8-mile Heritage Edition very recently sold for $2,101,000 on Bring A Trailer; that’s a long way removed from the initial $139,995 sticker price from only 20 years ago.
In contrast, a tidy 360 Modena or F430 will set buyers back around $150,000 to $250,000 with the right gearbox, low miles, and a tasteful color combination, so significantly lower than the more humbly-badged GT. Although Scuderia examples certainly do command GT-esque figures, which is hardly bad company for the Ford to keep.
Ferrari is still Ferrari, though, and while the GT might have been able to show a clean pair of heels to the regular run of Prancing Horse models in the early 2000s, ultra-limited Ferrari cars still know how to get the blood pumping and prices rising better than almost anything else on the road. So while the GT is certainly a more treasured possession than any comparatively humdrum 360 Modena, 612 Scaglietti, or F430, an Enzo or FXX is still going to eclipse it in terms of auction interest and prices achieved. Having said that, those two are also far more exclusive, more powerful, and one isn’t even road-legal, so it’s not exactly a fair comparison.
Sources: Bring A Trailer, Ferrari, Ford.
