Value in a Supercar?
The cockpit was comfortable too, and handsomely appointed with racing-style seats, leather upholstery, and an impressive spread of gauges and toggle-type switches across the dashboard. The only drawbacks to commuting in a GT were Thighmaster-high clutch effort and the very limited visibility associated with midships cars. Options were few: a booming 260-watt McIntosh sound system, lightweight BBS forged wheels, painted brake calipers, and the traditional “LeMans” striping on the nose, roof, tail, and rocker panels. Such humdrum matters were fast forgotten on the open road, and especially on the racetrack. There were also unexpected conveniences including automatic climate control, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt steering wheel, and keyless entry. Handling was no less impressive: race-car sharp yet road-car forgiving, with mild understeer changing to power-on oversteer whenever your right foot commanded.
Helping the cause were attractive prices in the $2100-$2800 range. Initially, Fairlane offered two- and four-door sedans in base and sportier 500 trim, plus a bucket-seat 500 Sport Coupe. Tuned versions in sports-racers like the Ford GT40 and Shelby Cobra disproved the old adage about there being “no substitute for cubic inches.” In fact, the GT40 nearly took the world GT Manufacturers Championship away from Ferrari in 1964, its first full season. The Fairlane was significant for introducing Ford’s brilliant small-block V-8, the basis for some of its hottest ’60s cars. Powerful and smooth yet surprisingly economical, it was the definitive small V-8. Bored out to 289 cid as a ’63 option, it packed up to 271 horsepower — almost one horsepower per cubic inch.
New lower-body sheetmetal gave the 1963 “Super-Torque” Galaxies a cleaner, leaner look, announced by a simple concave grille. In case you have virtually any inquiries about in which and tips on how to utilize bangkok condo for sale sukhumvit (bangkok.thaibounty.com), it is possible to call us on our web-page. A pair of cheap “300” sedans was added (renamed Custom/Custom 500 for ’64), and there was more midyear excitement in a set of 500 and 500XL sports hardtops with thin-pillar “slantback” rooflines, a bit starchier than the old Starliner but again aimed right at the stock-car ovals. The last, but most-substantial, restyle on the big 1960 body occurred for ’64, bringing heavily sculptured lower-body sheet-metal, a complex grille, and slantback rooflines for all closed models.
One of the most charismatic roadgoing sports cars ever built, it was nothing less than a modern but faithful, street-legal reincarnation of Ford’s legendary midengine GT40 endurance racer, four-time winner of the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans (1966-69), the ultimate “Total Performance” Ford. Previewed as an engineering prototype at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the GT was developed for production by a small dedicated team. The goal was to have it ready in time for Ford Motor Company’s huge June 2003 centennial gala in Dearborn. The team had just 16 months but kept the appointment, and the first three production examples delighted the thousands in attendance.
