New to the site

George

CURRENTLY BANNED
Hello everyone

I am new here and just like to give a bit of background...

Ive been a Mopar (or no car) owner for a long time. I have always loved Dodge. I currently own a 1968 Dodge Charger, QQ1 blue all factor/original since it left the show room floor. Full service history and receipts on the car that are near 20 years older than me. Ive always been happy with Dodge and found myself like most car enthusiast, 1 brand loyal and the rest sucking.

However in the recent times I found myself wanting a few things out of a car that the muscle car could not provide...

I wanted a car that could handle well, still accelerate well, and be better for business (a car with status that shows success). When this all started I started looking into Euro-Exotics... my ultimate favourite being the Lamborghini Diablo.

I also had the chance to go for a ride in a Ferrari F355, and after going for a ride in that, I forgot all about why I own a muscle car. The car 'felt' fast due to the nature of its design being so low to the ground and tight inside, the engine sound out the back rather than the front was umbelievable, there was no exhaust pipe ringing through the floor pans of the car making it too loud inside etc. So the whole concept and experience of that ride was umbelievable. This is where I learnt what "feel" means vs power. I realised that you can have a car that is 'actually' quicker in acceleration etc according to the stop watch but the car could 'feel' slower than the car that is actualy slower according to the clock. The reason why I would put power in the car is to make it feel fast... the Ferrari with the little (in my opinion) power that it has, felt SUPER FAST even at 60kmh, it was like going 200 due to the nature of its design.

Having said all that, I decided to look at a car for what it really is because, in the back of my mind there was a car that plagued me "Ford GT", ignoring that thought due to being a MOPAR owner, n that just being a 'ford' like big deal, means nothing, never seemed to have left me.

So I started researching and asking myself WHAT do I want out of a car.

So I went and listed what I trully wanted because see, I wanted to throw 200 000 at my muscle car to make it hande like an exotic car, it still probbably never would though and it still would not feel fast because its a big boat, its not designed like an exotic car.

On the other hand looking at Exotics, yes they provided the handling and the fast feel but being a Muscle car owner, I would have trully missed the v8 rumble and roar and Definately was not happy that V12 engines just dont have the TORQUE of a big block which to me was important and cool to have due to what Torque does.

So I said ok

1- I want a car that looks like a race car
2- I want a car that Handles like a super car
3- I want a car that can be worked on to made better due to aftermarket parts availability if I so choose to
4- I want a car with Big torque and v8 rumble like a muscle car
5- I want a car that has Racing Heritage behind it, so its not just a fast car but a car that actually means something.
6- I want a car that can have a top speed of 400+ due to its aerodynamics


This braught me on to that thought that plagued my mind "ford gt"

I found it hard to accept but, I forced my mind to stop looking at ford like some inferior garbage company that makes crap cars and tried to look at it for what it is irrelivant of the whole social aspect here in australia everything being ford vs holden and to me BOTH ARE #### GET OVER IT...

So looking at what Ford is for what it is without the social aspect of the people in regards to it..

Ford actualy made good cars.

Pony Car class racing in the 60 early 70s Mustangs were dominating the Camaros, Firebirds, DOdge Challengers, Plymouth Cudas etc.

Then, the legendary Lemans, Ford GT40 wins 6 consecutive years in a row dominating ferrari, lamborghini etc.

That told me that FORD actualy made cars that could turn left and right... sure the DODGE DAYTONAS etc won Nascar with the almighty Hemi engines, but thats turning in 1 direction only.

So I started appreciating ford for its race contribution.

THen I fell inlove with the FORD GT above the Diablo.

- The GT has a better chasis design than the Diablo
- The GT can be worked on for ALOT Less $ to be made better (if I want to) than the diablo
- The GT DOES have the v8 muscle car Roar to it (so I wont miss this aspect of muscle car anymore)
- It does have the big torque numbers due to the v8 (so I still keep my muscle car drag times here if I so choose to)
- It handles like a Euro-exotic car
- It costs less than an italian car to keep on the road being ford (nice bonus)
- The ford GT still looks like a 1960s race car, which means I still get the oldschool theme I love but in todays time, its the only car that looks like a race car with number plates to me.

So all In all, the Ford GT gives what neither muscle nor exotic gives... it gives me exotic car ride/feel/handling with muscle car Roar/Torque

So I love the GT. I do not have one, but I thought I would share what I am working towards owning and learning about. Ford have trully built a legendary Car when they built the GT40.

1 quick Question... GT40 stands for height of car from the concrete being 40"... the ford GT is 43" tall... the question is... is the 43" of the GT because its sitting 3" higher off the ground so if it was lowered 3" it would be identical, or is the ford GT body shape actualy taller... meaning if the bottom of it was at the same height as the GT40 the roof would still be higher as its fatter in that sense...

Look forward to owning a GT 1 day. FORD is the only company that have produced everything I ever wanted in a car, a muscle car torqued powered car with euro-exotic handling...
The bonus is the aftermarket parts availability and the cheaper maintenence cost than the Exotics... its the perfect built car... not to mention the price to buy one is ALOT less than exotics. Its trully the best value car that money can buy ON THE PLANET.

Take care and hear from u all soon

O yeah I forgot to say I always wanted a car that was rare aswell, GT gives that to.

- George -
 
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Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
George --

Welcome to the GT40 forum.

I'm a little unclear where you're headed. At this point are you considering getting a 2005 Ford GT? Or are you interested in 1960s-type GT40s, which is what this forum is about?

That question aside, there is at least a third alternative that meets most or all your criteria, and might do so better than either a GT40 or a GT, and that is a De Tomaso (or Ford, if you wish) Pantera. The Pantera has a little more affinity to the muscle car world than either the GT40 or the GT.

BTW in answer to your specific question about 40 vs. 43 inches: The 2005 Ford GT is quite a bit larger than the 60's GT40 which is why it's taller, and its resemblance is barely even skin deep. Other than general styling similarities and the fact they both have V8s in the middle, the two cars have essentially nothing in common.
 

George

CURRENTLY BANNED
Hello

I was thinking of the Ford GT.

Im assuming its better all round in performance/handling etc than the GT40.

Knowing me and wanting to work with the car I got... isnt buying a GT40 the wrong car as it should stay in its original form?

Can you give me some education on the 2, why would I want 1 over the other and whats the price difference between the 2.

Appearance wise the GT looks identical to the GT40 to me. I know its made with todays technology however.

Thanks for the other car Idea but I love the british designed GT. It just looks clean, elegant and race like and it is what it is.
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Hi George

Welcome to the forum

The GT40 was a race car from the Mid 60's that won a lot of endurance races. It can be made "legal" for road use but is a race car with all the charm of driving a race car on the road, Hot, Noisy, vision restricted, and fast.

The Ford Gt is a modern road car made to look like the 60's car in side view.
It is much bigger, (Length, width, height) but is more civilised for road use

I would presume a correctly set up GT40 would out perform a Gord Gt in most aspects

Ian
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
Hi George,
I too am a big fan of the Dodge Charger especially an R/T or anything with a Hemi in it!
On the GT40 replica versus new Ford GT you pays your money and takes your choice. A Ford GT in UK are around the £100,000 to £150,000 region and holding their price well. The new Ford GT is a very good car but is a modern car which has a similar look to the GT40.They are still quite expensive compared to even a very good spec GT40 replica.
The GT40 replica prices vary widely according to spec. I have seen them built for well under £20,000 but most used ones are in the £30,000 to £40,000 range. Top spec new ones with all the right bits can go up to £100,000. If you want an exact copy of an original with the papers to go historic racing etc. you can get a car from Gelscoe Motorsport for £250,000 or build one yourself. Any exact original car will cost quite a lot of money as the chassis are very complex structures and every part has to be fabricated. Also many of the parts are rare and/or obsolete and costly. The options for swapping and upgrading a Ford GT is quite limited compared to the vast range of stuff for a replica GT40. So if you like to alter and upgrade a GT40 may be more your thing.
A replica GT40 will give you the sixties driving experience as Ian says. It will also cost less so you can get hold of one much sooner particularly if you are prepared to do some work yourself. You can choose chassis, engine, transmission, mK1,2 or 3 body style, wheels, tyres etc. so you get a car fully customised to your needs. I am sure that whichever you go for in the end you will be happy as you will end up with a car which will go round corners and is a lot of fun. Speaking of which it's sunny outside for once so I am off out for a run in the GT40.
Cheers
Mike
 

George

CURRENTLY BANNED
Hi

Thank you for the feedback.

Basically if I get my GT, I would want to

A: Put a carbon fibrebody on it to make it lighter, I would also change the interior to Carbon Fibre to drop the weight. I would like the car to weigh total around 1200-1250kg (like en Enzo or Pagani Zonda)...

B: I would want a big block in the car to give me that awesome Torque I love about muscle cars, and the output I would be happy with is 700hp with 700ft/lbs of torque

C: I would expect the top speed with that much power to be close to the 400km/h mark.

D: With the the GT I would also need to tighten up the chasis as the New GT I noticed compare to an Enzo/Pagani/Koenigsegg, has ALOT of Body roll... I would need to sort the body roll out so it takes corners square like those hypercars, it needs to stick around corners, it also should not feel like sitting on rails (as an enzo etc wont feel like sitting on rails either) but should feel tight/race like.


Buying a GT, I would assume I need to change suspension, Engine and Body to CF to get the lightest possible...

So thats an investment of 150 000US for the car, and then The above work.

Am I better off with what you are talking about GT40 in this case, Drop carbon fibre body on it, everythign I mentioned and come out at probbably the base cost of the GT?

Being a replica or w/e, isnt that like "I cant say I own a GT" as its a clone of some sort, KITT car if you will... Thats kinda where I feel owning a GT and changing it, at least its still a FORD GT, not some made up blah.

You guys guide me, what can be done with what?

Btw- The Gt40 would have a 95" wheel base making it much better around tight corners (or Auto X) than 105" however, isnt the longer wheelbase (105-110) of the Pagani Zonda/Veyron/Koenigsegg/Enzo etc needed for the car to be able to go to that level of top speed and thus with 95" thats not possible or stable?

Thanks heaps
 
Most of the GT40's being built are replica's and not kit car's and in my honest opinion the GT40 replica is far more impressive then the Ford GT. Have you checked out any of the replica's or spoke with anyone from RCR, SPF, CAV or any of the other companies. You can build a replica to your needs for far less money and have a far better car. 700hp, 700lb torque in a 2300lb (replica) car is going to be a rocket and scary fast.
 

George

CURRENTLY BANNED
Well, im really considering this because In all honesty, I knda like the 40" concept... the new one still looks awesome but I like the original idea.

I also noticed the GT40 is like what , 1200kg (or so) vs the near 1600kg of the GT... To knock 300kg off the GT... I can see another 100 000 invested ontop of the 250 000 its gonna cost me to get, thats 350 000 while the GT40 is still the GT40, just better.

I noticed also the GT40 is 75" wide while the GT is 75.6" wide (so there both same width pretty much) the only real difference is the height and perhaps the length, 95" wheelbase vs 105" wheelbase... but I dont see that = MUCH larger...

My only question is, if I went down that road, to own a cool GT40 with my own power/torque AND weight I am Excited about, can that Car be complianced in Australia not being a 'GT' or a 'gt40'.

No I have not talked to those people, im total new to the whole FORD world... can I get some guidance/links or so forth to learn?

I want to exhaust my knowledge on this car so I can make a fully informed decision.

Where are the pictures on this site? Most car forums have a link on top that = "members cars" , I havent noticed that here... where are the pictures? Would love to see the differences of the GT40 and GT... So I know what I prefer looks wise...

Also wanted to ask, being a Replica, its still a FORD right so I still can have that beautiful elegant FORD badge on the front of the car that looks perfectly fit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWHLM4xBgVU&feature=related

Jus thought this to be awesome... I dont know if they got there info right considering they said "351 chev" , chevs were 350 ford engines were 351s... is that the sound of a FORD motor? U guys would know... but THAT thing is the HOTTEST sound I EVER heard. I love my HEMI engines but the sound of this is unsurpassed! I just fell inlove!

Im here to learn!

Thanks heaps.
George
 
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Look up RCR Australia because I believe they are currently building a beautiful orange track car. As for the motor you can use Ford or Chevy it all depends on your needs. If you want to keep it Ford look up what is offered by Ford Racing....they have a nice 427 aluminum block that they sell.
 
Of all the videos you could choose in relation to GT40's that would be one of the worst, & made in NZ at that....must have been North Islanders!!

Seriously though, I like to see Fords in Fords, Chev's in Chevs etc.

Lets face it, even with the $$$ your talking of spending, your not going to get a 'real' anything to do the swap on...... Soooo since you like your Mopar why not do a Lambo Countach replica, use the Mopar, Richmond 5 or 6 speed in the Lambo style layout [ Motor in front of rear axle, but back to front, trans in center tunnel ], a couple of Drop Gears back to a 8.8" IRS ( Aussie Ford diff ). If you dont have the talent find & pay someone to do a decent suspension setup... Lambo had/has some Chrysler ties at one stage, you have your Mopar, build a 180° exhaust for it, everyone is happy. [ No upset GT40 fans with mopars being stuffed in 'their' cars ]
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Of all the videos you could choose in relation to GT40's that would be one of the worst

What?! Finally somebody did the comparison we were all waiting for: a tube frame, Chevy V-8 with a GT40-like body against a mass-produced tarted-up turbo-charged front-engine rice-burner.

Now that question's answered all we have to wait for is the other earthshaking comparison: how does Marlborough sauvignon blanc compare to California-made sake?
 
The marlborough version might come out on top as it was more recently shaken from the vine!!:)

George, you might want to google -Hemi powered Pantera....
 
Dunno about you Alan, I'd never survive in the oriental climes, hate rice in any shape or form,... last time anyone mentioned Rice around here it was on the RCR forum some of which got fermented past the point of no return.... oops, this aint the Paddock.
 

George

CURRENTLY BANNED
Hi

Wasnt posting that video to make any comparison... I just posted it cause I thought it showed a nice car (the gt40) and the way it sounded. Thats all I posted that for.

No I was not planning to put a MOPAR engine into the GT40, I would stick to ford engine being ford. I was saying I actually liked the sound of that GT40 more than the MOPAR sound.

No the Pantera thing looks like crap to me. The GT40 is the look im after.
 

Keith

Moderator
Hi

Wasnt posting that video to make any comparison... I just posted it cause I thought it showed a nice car (the gt40) and the way it sounded. Thats all I posted that for.

No I was not planning to put a MOPAR engine into the GT40, I would stick to ford engine being ford. I was saying I actually liked the sound of that GT40 more than the MOPAR sound.

No the Pantera thing looks like crap to me. The GT40 is the look im after.

If you thought that that '40 sounded good wait until you hear a properly built Ford small block with 180 degree exhaust!

I think the driver of the '40 in your video was a tad confused himself as he had Ford logo on his shirt.

Also I noticed he had a Renault trans in there, which isn't the strongest option for the power he said he said was running, so if you plan more 'muscle' you'll need to use more box as in Porsche or ZF or any other suitable after market box which may or may not be around at the time.
 
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