The Star Late Edition

GT production run extended

- PRITESH RUTHUN

COULDN’T STAKE your claim on one of the ‘limited-run’ 1000 Ford GT cars that Ford had promised to build? Great news is coming your way. The Blue Oval will extend the production run of the latest generation Ford GT, which came, saw and conquered the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2016.

The ultra-high-performanc­e Ford GT production run will now be extended by approximat­ely two years, to meet overwhelmi­ng customer demand, which means the company will now deliver approximat­ely 1350 Ford GTs worldwide.

Ford will re-open (for one month) the applicatio­n window to customers in selected markets hoping to join the select group of Ford GT owners, beginning November 8. Prospectiv­e owners will be able to submit their applicatio­ns at FordGT. com, and successful applicants will work with the Ford GT Concierge Service for a personalis­ed purchase experience.

“The response to our Ford GT has been unpreceden­ted, with demand outstrippi­ng supply more than six-to-one,” says Hermann Salenbauch, director, Ford Performanc­e. “By extending the Ford GT production run for a limited period, we’re able to maintain the exclusivit­y of the ultra-desirable supercar while offering the ownership experience to a greater number of customers in addition to the 80 Ford GT owners in Europe who’ve taken delivery of their bespoke car to-date.”

Production of the Ford GT – powered by a twin-turbocharg­ed, 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine, and featuring a carbon fibre architectu­re, active aerodynami­cs and 347km/h top speed – began in December 2016.

The company also recently announced a new Ford GT Heritage Edition model that celebrates the 50th anniversar­y of the 1968 and 1969 Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 (with a limited-edition Gulf Oil tribute racing livery), including a Heritage Blue and Heritage Orange paint scheme.

Successful applicants in the latest round of applicatio­ns to purchase the car will be eligible for Ford GT vehicles produced in the 2020 to 2022 calendar years.

If you manage to secure one, remember that you have to hold onto it for a prescribed period of time, or you might have to face the same music John Cena did when he breached his purchase agreement by selling his new GT during the prescribed ownership period.

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