The Shelby American (Spring 2016)

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The SHELBY AMERICAN Spring 2016 14
FORD GT: OLD VS. NEW ?
There aren’t many of us who are
in a position to buy a 2017 Ford GT.
But that doesn’t necessarily keep us
from buying Powerball tickets and
thinking about it. SAAC member
Glenn Brueckmann asked Jeff Burgy,
the club’s New Ford GT Registrar, his
opinion about waiting for a 2017 or
2018 GT or getting a 2005 or 2006
model instead.
As a long time SAAC member, I
am seeking your guidance. I have con-
sidered searching for a near new 2006
Ford GT.With the soon-to-be-available
2017 GT, I decided to hold off. How-
ever, as details begin to leak regarding
the application process coupled with a
production of 250 units, my applica-
tion success seems dubious.
I am definitely a Ford enthusiast;
I have owned many Fords and cur-
rently have very long term ownership
(15-26 years) of a 1965 Shelby GT350-
R model, 1965 Shelby GT350 (early 2-
digit Venice car) and a 9,000-mile to-
tally correct 1969 Boss 429. I even own
Ford Motor Co stock and have no in-
tention of purchasing a GT for resale.
However, I am not the king of social
media and I do not drive the snot out
of my cars. Thus, it seems my chances
for success in obtaining a ‘17 GT may
be quite limited.
Is the new GT being built for more
than one year? Will production in-
crease and provide me with a possibil-
ity in the second year? You probably do
not know, but I am pondering. Bottom
line: am I dreaming about the new GT
and should I get serious about pur-
chasing a 2006 GT? Are there certain
2006 VIN's to avoid, under 100, mid or
late production? Do you know of any
available 2006 GTs, black or blue
w/stripe, 4 options, under 500 miles?
Or should I hang on for the 2017 or
2018 GT?
I appreciate any insight you may
be able to offer. Thank you.
Regards,
Glenn Brueckmann
Glenn -
What to do with regard to the
“new GT” is certainly a tough decision
to make. The new 2017 GT is an in-
credible automobile – definitely noth-
ing “retro” about it. It is just about as
“high-tech” as a car could be. I guess if
it were my money, I would opt for the
“old” 2005-2006 GT. The naysayers
said that they built too many of them
to be “collectable.” I was pretty sure
they were wrong about that, and the
market has certainly proven it.
My rationale for sticking with the
“old” car would be this: the values of
the ‘05-‘06 cars have shot up dramati-
cally and will probably continue to
climb. The limited numbers of the
2017 model will likely cause those who
were unable to get one to look for an
‘05-‘06 model in the future (which will
help to keep their prices up). The
2005-2006 model shares a profile with
the original, iconic GT40; everybody
knows immediately what it is. With
the 2017 model, I have to look at the
pictures closely to confirm that it is
NOTa Ferrari, Lambo, or some other
European exotic. The prices of replace-
ment parts for the 2005-2006 models
are VERY expensive but fortunately,
they have been obtainable with the ex-
ception of cluster gauges. I would ex-
pect prices for any service or
replacement parts for the 2017 model
to be INCREDIBLY expensive, since I
expect overall production volume to be
quite low.
I am unsure of what the produc-
tion numbers will be for the 2016/2017
model. I have heard 400-500 a year for
two or three model years. Personally,
I don’t think there are 1500 “Ford
guys” out there with a half-million
bucks to spend on a car that doesn’t
have a prancing horse on it’s flanks. I
could be wrong, and I hope I am, but I
would expect a total of around 1,000
units or less to be built. However, if
they sweep GTLM at LeMans...well,
that’s a different story. If that happens
I guess I could see demand for 1500-
2000 of them.
I am disappointed that the new
car is not a V8. I understand Ford’s ra-
tionale; I just don’t agree with it. Al-
though the car’s looks ( AND it’s
performance) are stunning, the V6 is a
turn-off for a lot of guys (including a
fairly significant number of current
GT owners) who all seem to expect an
American Supercar to be V8 powered.
To be clear, I have to admit that I
have NEVER done well in the stock
market so don’t take my words as
gospel. Just take them into considera-
tion while you make your own deci-
sion. If I had the wherewithal, I’d buy
an ‘05 or ‘06 GT now, submit an appli-
cation for the 2017 model and, if I was
lucky enough to be selected, I’d buy it.
I’d drive them both and sell whichever
one didn’t measure up.
I don’t have any leads on GTs for
sale. I’d suggest Shelby Smith in
Arkansas or Marv Rose in Sacramento
– they both have good reputations for
selling nice GTs and standing behind
their deals.
Jeff Burgy