Who Ford Picked to Own a GT, and Who it Denied

From Road & Track

Ford has taken an unorthodox approach to selling its latest flagship. The Ford GT is a highly anticipated vehicle for the automaker, its successor to the famous supercar released in 2005. Last year, it even brought the car back to Le Mans and won. Ford is serious about this car, but did it choose the right buyers?

The company's decided to build just 500 cars (initially), which means not every run-of-the-mill multi-millionare can walk down to their nearest Ford lot and pick one up. Unlike the last GTs, which could be bought by any shmoe that walked into a Ford dealer, every unit of the new GT has already been spoken for. Demand was so high, that over 7000 people applied for the opportunity to buy the $450,000+ supercar.

On its surface, Ford's plan made sense. Give people with a voice the chance to own the new GT, giving them to incentive to share their experiences with the car to their followers. This, in turn, would allow Ford to reach larger audiences and sell more cars.

So, obviously, Ford chose people with reach. Music sensation Deadmau5, baseball star and noted car enthusiast C.J. Wilson, Youtuber Shmee150, and Brooks from Dragtimes are among the list of approved applicants. Whether you're a fan of these names or not, you can't deny they have influence.

We've also heard from autoevolution that Scottish singer Amy MacDonald has received an allocation for Ford's new flagship. If the name sounds familiar, MacDonald appeared on Top Gear a few years ago, and is a huge car enthusiast. Remember, it's 500 units globally, so it has to be divided among places other than the U.S.

Probably the most interesting public acceptance letter has come from the automotive website The Truth about Cars. TTAC announced that Sanjay Mehta, the brother of TTAC writer Sajeev, was able to secure one of the 500 cars.

Of course, Sanjay is also a noted cancer surgeon and an avid collector with a garage full of exotic cars, including a last generation Ford GT. He would have been able to get an allocation without the relation to TTAC, but the outlet for exposure probably didn't hinder his chances.

Ford made it clear that owners should want to share their experiences with the car, and what better way to do that other than a popular automotive website where your brother is a writer?

But what about the people who didn't get approved? Other Youtubers, like Rob Ferretti of Super Speeders and Salomondrin, have just as much influence as the lucky applicants above, but for some reason, weren't chosen. You might think Ford only wants to give new GTs to loyal customers, but both of these Youtubers have owned Ford GTs in the past.

Classic Car Club Manhattan is another notable entity that didn't get approval. Don't worry though, the high-end driving club still offers the V8-powered Gulf-livery GT40 to members brave enough to hop in the driver's seat.

Jay Leno, ex-late night talk show host and current host of the television show Jay Leno's Garage, revealed his new Ford GT on his YouTube channel in early June 2017. Leno's car is specced in black with dual orange racing stripes, along with orange painted brake calipers and orange seats. According to him, it is the 12th car off the production line.

Three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti posted a picture of a Ford GT order kit on his Instagram account, revealing that he too has been chosen to purchase a car.

People like James Glickenhaus have surely considered a Ford GT, but might not be too into the idea one has to apply to own a car. "I was so busy racing I never sent in an application. They got over 7000 applications for 500 cars."

Roush Performance revealed via its Facebook page that founder and CEO Jack Roush has received an allocation. Roush Performance is famous for tuning Fords, so it makes sense its founder was able to order a GT. According to Motor Authority, Roush also owned a previous-generation GT, which undoubtedly helped his chances.

Interestingly, Zak Brown, the executive director of the McLaren Technology Group is getting a GT as well. Brown is a prominent collector, and revealed on his website that he's adding a GT to his collection. The GT is a direct competitor to cars like McLaren's 675LT and 720S, so he'll be an unusual GT owner.

Alan Hartman, Studio Manager at Turn 10, the firm behind Forza Motorsport, is another lucky applicant. He and his team have been documenting the acquisition process on the Turn 10 Studios YouTube channel, with the most recent update being a tour of the Ford GT factory.

American NASCAR driver Joey Logano revealed his Ford GT ownership status over Twitter in August of 2017 with a thank-you message to Ford, along with a picture of his newly delivered matte black example.

People who we watch on our television and computer screens all day will soon have a Ford GT to show us, which is what we wanted anyway. This is a public assurance these owners will drive their cars. Ford has chosen our representatives, but have they chosen wisely? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

This story is being continuously updated as we learn about more current and future GT owners.

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