By: RONALD LEDERMAN JR. on August 31, 2005
Original Article: LIMA NEWS, THE (OH)

Aug. 31–LIMA — The sleek white car with blue racing stripes might not be one of a kind, but it is as close as most local car shoppers are likely to see.

Mike Pruitt Ford took delivery last week of a 2005 Ford GT. The high-performance two-seater is the reintroduction of a car the company dominated endurance racing with in the late 1960s, including a first-, second- and third-place sweep at the 24 Hours at Le Mans race in 1966.

Mike Pruitt Ford is the only dealer in Northwest Ohio with a Ford GT, General Sales Manager Ryan Swaney said. Ford will make only 3,000 of the GTs between the 2005 and 2006 model years. The Ford GT in the Pruitt showroom is No. 1,630.

Combine the scarcity of the car with its performance, and you get a car with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $156,945. Cars with similar performance capabilities sell for between $400,000 and $500,000, Swaney said. The names on those cars are Porsche, Ferrari and Saleen.

Swaney said he expects the car to sell by the weekend. By Tuesday, the dealership had heard from a potential buyer as far away as Cincinnati.

“We’ve had a lot of inquiries,” Swaney said. “We’re just now getting onto eBay, which is where most of them are sold.” Thirteen Ford GTs were listed Tuesday evening on eBay, with asking prices ranging from $160,000 to $190,000.

The Ford GT is a driver’s car: The 5.4-liter, 32-valve V8 puts out 550 horsepower and 500 pounds of torque. The GT goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. In a quarter mile, it gets up to 127 mph.

“The car just goes,” Swaney said. “The torque is what makes the car get up and go. Horsepower is good, but torque makes it do it now.” The Ford Mustang GT, by comparison, puts out 300 horsepower and 315 pounds of torque.