Devon
Well-Known Member
An Australian company is bringing the Ford GT supercar to local roads. Ford Australia decided against importing the modern interpretation of the GT40 racer from the US, mainly because the limited edition muscle car is only produced in left-hand drive and demand would be rather limited.
But Dreamtech, a Melbourne company specialising in stretched limos and other modified vehicles, aims to bring around 10 of the Ford GTs to Australia and convert them to right-hand drive. The cars will come with a Dreamtech warranty and compliance that allows them to be road registered in all states.
The GTs won't be cheap, with the final bill likely to come to nearly $500,000 a car -- $115,000 more than a Ferrari F430. The GT has an official list price in the States of $US200,000 but production is winding up this September and dealers are demanding $US270,000 to $US290,000 for the few in stock.
Import taxes, red tape clearance and conversion costs will account for the rest of the half-million price tag. Dreamtech partner James Ware admits $500,000 is steep, but says the GT is a rare and legendary vehicle.
"It is a lot of money but to get an equivalent Lamborghini you are paying $600,000 or more. It's cheaper and it's much, much rarer," says Ware. "The car will be the ultimate rare car and I don't think too many will even get out of their garages except on special occasions."
The Ford GT was built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original GT40 car's first, second and third place finish in the
1966 Le Mans 24-hour race. The original racer, which now has cult-car status, was powered by a whopping 7.0-litre engine. The new GT, a modern interpretation of the racer, is powered by a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 which pumps out 410kW and 678Nm.
Many American writers claimed the Ford was better than the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper and Ferrari 360 when it was first released in 2004. According to a review at thecarconnection.com: "It makes a Ferrari 360 brought for comparison look like a Hyundai Tiburon."
The GT's supercar halo has dimmed slightly since the latest generation Ferrari F430 hit the street but the GT is still regarded as a star. It has graced the covers of more than 40 car magazines worldwide and even out performs a $750,000 Saleen 57 in the latest edition of Motor magazine.
Ware explains that Dreamtech will only be able to bring a few of the GTs to Australia.
"We are only offering a very limited number ... as the base car is quite expensive and the steering conversion, done properly, is not cheap," he says.
"We have designed the completed right-hand drive vehicle to look, feel and drive exactly as the factory would have intended, had they built it. We have had to completely remodel the whole interior of the car in a mirror image of the original and modify the fuel tank so we can reposition the gear lever."
The only Ford GT supercar known to be in Australia is owned by Ford and is currently on display at the Ford Performance Racing shop at FPV headquarters in Melbourne.
Source: http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384,19544687-21822,00.html