Cleaning our Ford GT is relatively easy. Obviously we don't run it through the automatic wash at the local Shell station, but a couple bucks in quarters at the local coin-op place gets the job done. The car's smooth lines make it straightforward to dry off in all but a few places. One of those places involves the vents on the rear engine cover...
Like all mid-engine cars, engine cooling is one of the GT's bigger challenges. While we've never had a problem we've heard reports of car's running hot during track events. Ford tried to minimize this problem by incorporating an effective ventilation system into the engine cover. It seems to work well under all but the aforementioned track conditions, but it also adds a bit of complexity to the cleaning process. If you want to avoid dingy or water-spotted vents on the rear hatch (two trademarks that show up extra well if you have the optional white longitudinal stripe), you have to rub down each vent individually with a soft cloth during the drying process. With two rows of 25 vents each, that's 50 tiny areas you have to address during each wash. Plus there are the two lowered areas on either side of the 50 vents, each of which also tends to pool water and require extra mopping with a towel. But, these are the burders one must be willing to bare when caring for the GT. So far the extra work hasn't slowed down its usage -- or its regular washings.
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com, @ 4,851 miles
hondacura4 says:
05:55 PM, 08/ 7/06
My wife and I saw one of these on the road for the first time this weekend and gave the guy a thumbs up. I must admit the GT's styling (and performance) makes you forget that the Corvette Z06 (simular performance) is much, much cheaper. Id buy this car on looks and sound alone, although I wish Ford would have given it a more exotic drivetrain.
Id never thought Id say this about a Ford product but its beautiful! My second favorite car behind the Carerra GT.
editor_karl says:
10:47 AM, 08/ 8/06
I agree. The Z06 is the Performance Bargain of the Century. But once you're around a Ford GT you realize there's more to a vehicle than just the numbers it posts on the spec sheet.