SPF MKII Ownership

SpyderMike · 03-19-07, 04:27 PM

I thought I would start a thread based on my experience with buying and owning the MKII S/N P2120.

My car was ordered in February 2005 before the formal announcement. I paid 65,000 for the roller + 750 for sill stripes saying "GT40" + 800 for ceramic coated headers. Included in the price was delivery to Olthoff Racing in North Carolina for completion. To be sent with the car, but not installed by the factory were mirrors and an oil pan. The colors chosen were Indigo Blue and Viper Steel Grey. It is a left hand drive left hand shift car without Gurney Bubble.

I later asked for clear film to be added to the front of the car - this cost 650.

Between placing the order and receiving the car, Superformance was purchased by Lance Standler and was moved to within 10 minutes or so from my house.

The car arrived at Olthoff's in October of 2006.

The engine was purchased direct from Roush in July 2006 - it is their 427SR with a cam specified by Olthoff. This is a carbie motor. It came with the accessories, a clutch package, aluminum flywheel and the oil pan. It makes 505HP and 498 ft-lbs per the tag on the engine. Engine cost delivered was 15,450. The engine arrive at Olthoff Racing in October of 2006.

The ZF was ordered through Olthoff in July 2006. They spec'd the gearing. The trans was delivered to Olthoff in December 2006. The cost of the transwas abotu 10,000.

The car was installed and ready for shipment to me in Late February 2007. There were 158 miles put on the car by Olthoff.

The communication by Olthoff's company was acceptable. I made most of the contact. I put no time pressure on them. They answered all my questions.

In a few cases, Olthoff elected to do things to the car that I did not request - for example they made a lexan see through engine cover so that the engine could be viewed from the outside. I did not request this. They also supplied the original sheetmetal aluminum cover with the car. They elected to upgrade the cooling fans without asking. They supplied me the removed fans with the car. In all, the "unrequested upgrades" cost me 1,500 additional. The cost of the installation by Olthoff was under 7,000. Of this, 5,000 was labor and the balance was installation bit and machining charges.

The trucking company used was DeMoise Trk-ing and they provided excellent service. I was in touch with the driver at any time. The cost to ship the car to Medford Oregon was 1,800. The time frame was about 10 days as the driver had to drop off/pick up in Seattle and Portland.

The car as deliver had some issues:

1. The extra oil pan was not included (both SPF and Roush should have supplied one based on the original order). SPF no longer includes the oil pan as part of the purchase.

2. The mirrors were not supplied. Later calls with Superformance and Olthoff reveal that a new inside mirror was sourced and it on it's way to me. I will get the SPF outside mirrors supplied but I will not use them.

3. There is a fuel filler neck change that will need to be done to my car. The ones supplied on my car, and a few of the other early cars, have non-continuous weld and fuel fumes are present. This is at no cost to me.

4. The car as delivered was not set up to me height. I supplied Olthoff my height and inseam measurement. The pedals are too far forward to drive comfortably. I was told by Dennis that I have one more setting to adjust on the pedal and it requires 4 bolts to be removed. I will do this. I will probably also have to put foam behind the seat back. I am 5' 8".

5. The interior was scratched in several places - primarily in the sill area (fuel tanks) and the small switch cover behind the signal stalk. The interior did not look like it was protected during the install. Hand prints and scrathes are evident. A photo taken during install show thaty this is the case. There are also a couple of epoxy blobs on the sills. In talking to Olthoff, he say that I should spray them with a rattle can - semi gloss on the sills and flat on the switch plate. He states that he has had to paint the sills on his car 4 times and he has asked the factory for some better solution for paint adherence. on the sills. I am working with SPF to get some carpeted sill covers - they have them available - to protect this area.

6. The switches and indicators were not labeled and no diagram was given. I have since received a hand drawn sheet describing switch function. I have include a copy of this as an attachment.

7. No documentation was received with the car. I have no idea what fuse does what.

8. I noticed a small oil spot near the right rear of the trans. Dennis Olthoff said that in the upright position, these ZF boxes use 6 liters of oil. Inverted they use about 1.75 litrers. He fill them to 2 liters and they will percolate out what they don't need.

The exterior of the car was near flawless - to my eyes anyway. one small chip on the rear spoiler and some very minor ripples in a couple opf places in teh bodywork. The paintwork is extremely well done.

I will keep posting to this thread as my car gets finished and all issues get resolved.

I am very pleased with the car by the way.

Mike

charlie c · 03-19-07, 10:06 PM

Great write-up, thanks! SPF is high on my list, and it's great to hear the straight dope. BTW: Your GT40 "owner's manual" is priceless!

Here's a question: what's yer ground clearance on that thang? I've hear rumours of sub-three-inch clearances, and I'm curious as to how your car sits now that the engine's in...

... oh, and pics please!!!!

SpyderMike · 03-19-07, 10:53 PM

I can't measure it for you right now...I am in So Cal and the car is in Oregon. I will be there in early April and I will try to get you a measurement.

Working with Superformance has been great- good people in Lance, Deborah and Frank. They will get answers to anything I ask. Down the road I am sure they will have a nice owners manual.

Some pics attached.

Mike

SpyderMike · 03-19-07, 10:55 PM

More pics

SpyderMike · 03-19-07, 10:57 PM

Maybe you can get an idea of ground clearance by looking at this pic of Lance's car. Looks more than 2.5 inches to me.

charlie c · 03-19-07, 11:16 PM

Gosh DARN it that car looks fantastic! Thanks for all the great pics. The workmanship looks wonderful! Congrats!

SpyderMike · 03-19-07, 11:34 PM

a couple of more then...you can see the scratched panel behind the turn signal stalk.

Alan in Nevada · 03-20-07, 01:41 AM

Beautiful car.

And thanks for the report. For most of us this car will be a very major expenditure and we are anxious for any reports on the item as received.

Which brings up questions, that I may respectively ask:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

I paid . . . . 750 for sill stripes saying "GT40"

Why was this necessary? Is not that a stock option? Or was it before the manufacturer acquired the rights to the GT40 name from Safir?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

It is a left hand drive left hand shift car . . .

Why the left-hand shift, and not the center console shift?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

. . . . it is their 427SR with a cam specified by Olthoff.

What cam did Olthoff specify, and why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

The ZF was ordered through Olthoff in July 2006. They spec'd the gearing.

On the basis of what criteria did they spec the gearing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

In a few cases, Olthoff elected to do things to the car that I did not request . . . . . . .cost of the installation by Olthoff was under 7,000.

. . . . most interesting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

I will get the SPF outside mirrors supplied but I will not use them.

Why are you electing to not use the supplied outside mirrors?

Thanks in advance for the time and trouble, and keep us posted on how it runs.

. . . . . and do enjoy your new item in the mean. (As we know you will.)

Bill D · 03-20-07, 09:55 AM

A very beautiful car. That engine looks as mean as hell. Please do a video (if you can) of your first drive.

Cheers
Bill D

Pete K. · 03-20-07, 12:21 PM

Sweet! I'd love to hear the engine at 6000 rpm.

Gregg · 03-20-07, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpyderMike

a couple of more then...you can see the scratched panel behind the turn signal stalk.

Perhaps you should remove your 4 carat pinky ring prior to driving that bad boy.

It is a beautiful car. Many happy and safe miles to you. What is your impression of the foot well? I know the originals were cramped. It just looks very awkward/uncomfortable to drive.

SpyderMike · 03-20-07, 01:21 PM

Alan,

Sill stripes are an option. You can have GT40 or SPF or SPF GT (I think) put on but not Ford.

MY mistake - I have center console shift.

You would have to ask Olthoff what cam is spec'd and what gearing...I haven't received that info. He spec'd a milder cam for driveability I am told.

The outside mirrors are too new in styling for my tastes. I will be looking for something a little more period looking. Ssee Lance's car above for the supplied mirrors.

Bill D,
I tried to post a video but it failed in two attempts. I will try again.

Petek,
I does have a sweet sound to it. I will try to capture it on video and post.

Gregg,
I am at a loss as to how those scratches got there. I didn't care for Olthoff's explanation either (people getting in and out of the car?). I guesss I need to clip my fingernails.

Mike

Gregg · 03-20-07, 01:31 PM

Mike, if I was you, I would be testing out both Olthoff's and Superformance's customer satisfaction/support and request a new cover at no charge. You paid enough for the car and frankly that cover can't be too expensive.

Lynn Miner · 03-20-07, 03:55 PM

Mike, I tried to send you a PM but it bounced because your box is full. I have made up a set of laser engraved dash labels for the SPF GT40.

Frank Catt · 03-20-07, 05:22 PM

Mike, should you have any problems with rain, we have new door seals available ! Frank

SpyderMike · 03-20-07, 06:27 PM

Lynn,

Thanks for the info. I am not sure what I am going to use...I saw some nice switch tags on this website that I remember liking.

Frank,

I am still waiting information on the trans supports you mentioned a while back. Can you provide more info on that?

Thanks,
Mike

SpyderMike · 03-20-07, 06:39 PM

Two more items I forgot to mention:

There are no door stops on the car and you can open the door too far and damage the paint. Be careful.

The door latches on the outside have little space between them and the fiberglass molded aroud them. They scrape the paint inside the recess. Not much can be done about this except maybe placing some clear protective tape in there. The minor paint damage is not visible unless you pull the door latch out and look into the recess.

Mike