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Written by Erik
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Sunday, 08 April 2007 |
Production startup began in spring 2004, with a projected total volume of 4500 cars. The first customers took delivery in September 2004. The GT was assembled and painted by Saleen in their Saleen Special Vehicles facility in Troy, Michigan. The GT is powered by an engine built at Ford's Romeo Engine Plant in Romeo, Michigan. Installation of the engine and transmission along with interior finishing was handled in the SVT building at Ford's Wixom, Michigan plant.
Of the 4,500 GTs originally planned, approximately 100 were to be exported to Europe, starting in late 2005. An additional 200 were destined for sale in Canada. When production ended in 2006, the full planned lot of 4500 were not produced. Approximately 550 were built in 2004, nearly 1900 in 2005, and just over 1600 in 2006, for a grand total of 4038.
As with many highly desirable new vehicles, when the Ford GT was first released, the demand severely outpaced supply, and the cars initially sold for premium prices. The first unit available to the public sold at a charity auction for over $500,000 to a retired Microsoft executive. Other early cars sold for as much as a $100,000 premium over the suggested retail price range of $140,000 to $157,000, depending on selected optional equipment. Independent sources, such as FordGTPrices.com began gathering figures on production, sales, and selling prices; and posting that information as a resource for buyers and sellers. By June 2005, retail sale prices had dropped to around $10,000 to $20,000 over MSRP, and in August 2005 several new GTs were sold on eBay for no more than the suggested retail price. Nevertheless, recognizing that there was ongoing demand and support for the car, Ford raised the base sticker by $10,000 to $149,995 in late 2005.
The production run of the GT ended with the 2006 model year on 21 September 2006, with a grand total 4038 cars produced [1], and the Wixom Assembly plant, where the GT is finish-assembled, is scheduled for closure in 2007[2]. Sales of the GT continued into 2007, from cars held in storage and in dealer inventories.
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