Ford GT vs the rest

[Jimster]

OK so America has FINALLY put out a true Exotic, that is comparable to Europes best in EVERY catagorey, so the Question will now beg- is it better than...........

The Ferrari 360 Modena???
The Porsche 911 Turbo???
The Lamborghini Gallardo??? (as above- AWD to make it interesting)
The Lotus Esprit V8???
The Aston Martin DB7 GT??? (Had to throw an FR in for a control)


these are the ONLYcars allowed in the comparison- Skyline GTR's are not exotics, the Corvette ZO6 is too cheap and well......crap in this company, the NSX is a little too underpowered to be seriously considered and I like the Dodge Viper, but again, it's in a slightly different league.


How I see it is that it has been made clear that the Ford GT's driving experience on the track has been hurt by slight understeer, while the Ferrari 360 Modena is a fully bred track beast- which is compromised on normal roads, the 911 Turbo is the all-rounder, I haven't looked into the Gallardo- but maybe some of you have, the Esprit is another track monster with some serious balls and brawn and the DB7 is a little soft, but a good car for measure.


My vote goes to the 360 Modena- and yours is????

[NISSANSPDR]

Originally Posted by Jimster

The Ferrari 360 Modena???
The Porsche 911 Turbo???
The Lamborghini Gallardo??? (as above- AWD to make it interesting)
The Lotus Esprit V8???
The Aston Martin DB7 GT??? (Had to throw an FR in for a control)

The Aston Martin is not the track performer like the first 4. So it's automatically gone...it's sexy looking but....gone!

The Lotus Esprit V8 TT is long in the tooth...it couldnt beat the F355 when it came out...and much less is it going to beat the 360 Modena...so bye bye. It was a nice alternative...but not quite

The Gallardo is a fine car...500HP IIRC...AWD...but I havent seen performance numbers...but I assume they will be mind numbing...so I have to wait...backburner for now...

The 360 Modena and 911 Turbo are both very comparable in their performance...I once saw in a magazine they did a test of 14 performance, handling, braking tests, etc...and they both ended up tied at the end 7-7. But my nod will go to the 911 Turbo over the 360 Modena...b/c it's a bit more reliable, has AWD, and has turbo potential...meaning...TURN BOOST UP!!! (Or bigger turbo's)

Final choice: Pending results of the Gallardo, my nod would be for a 911 Turbo...but in it's stock form...I dont know if it could keep up on a track...so it'd have to be modified...dang I had to cheat to win!

[ZZII]

I don't think a Ferrari and beat a Ford GT. Remember, the GT40 was called "The Ferrari Slayer" and, when it was racing, this was true.
The Lamborghini, might be the only one that can...

[kfoote]

For the $150k that Ford is asking, that puts it into the range of the 911 GT2 and the 550 Maranello. It looks like Ford built a good high end sports car, but priced itself into a range that it's going against some serious competition. It is less expensive than the Gallardo and the DB7, but more expensive than the others in the group.

[flylwsi]

do you guys read anything in automotive news at all?
the GT is faster, stiffer, and a better ride/handler than a ferrari 360.
ford bought a 360 and took it apart to find out how to make their GT a better car. so it's 40% stiffer, has more power, and handles better. and it rides better.
so you can't really compare the 360, simply b/c numerically, the GT is superior. then you can compare the reviews where ford allowed journalists to drive the GT and the 360 on the same track. and it's no comparison at all.

for me, it'd be between the ford and the porsche. but since you noted the 911 turbo only, not the gt2 or gt3, i'm going for the GT.

and i loved the original, so i'd probably still stick to the GT over the porsches...

[YogsVR4]

Instead of the DB7 I'd go for the Vanquish, but thats a higher price tag then the rest.

Until I can drive those cars, I can only go by the numbers and gut feeling. The 911 Turbo is still my top choice.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by ZZII

I don't think a Ferrari and beat a Ford GT. Remember, the GT40 was called "The Ferrari Slayer" and, when it was racing, this was true.
The Lamborghini, might be the only one that can...

They only beat them in eight total races, that is NOT what I call a slaying. Also, the GT-40 was NOT a Ford. It was a British car with a Ford engine just like the Daytona and the Cobra.

For me, it is a toss up between the 360 and the Lotus. Granted, in the only test I have seen between the 360 and GT, the GT was faster around the track, but the track has a lot of straights letting the GT take advantage of the extra power it has over the 360. Let's throw in a ton of turns and see what happens. That test showed that the 360 held the corners better than the GT it just lacks in the power department. The GT can barely beat the Viper SRT-10 by mere 10ths of a second and it is a damn convertible. The only thing that truly impresses me about the GT is the looks.

[syr74]

Actually, I guess understeer is all in the eye of the beholder. Reason being I have read one review where they claimed the GT understeered more than the Modena, and another that claimed just the opposite. However, it is worth noting that I believe one comparison was in reference to a standard Modena while the other was comparing it to the more race ready Stradale. Suspension tuning could easily account for the difference, but the Stradale is a little extreme in the interior "appointments" department as a road car goes.

As for the GT being in 911 GT2 and 550 Maranello price territory, it isn't even close. The 911 GT2 is a 200,000 dollar car and the 550M is even more than that. A standard Porsche 911 Turbo costs more than a new Ford GT, and Ferrari's "entry level" 360 Modena is significantly more than the Ford as well with that 550M making the Mdoena look bargain basement.

I will say that I like the comparison of cars Jimster has brought up, and I think that is a pretty accurate cross shopping list for a guy in this range. I would have to drive these cars to really make up my mind, but from what little I do know....."here goes."

For a daily driver it would seem to me that the Aston and the 911 Turbo are the obvious choices. Close call between those two indeed. However, even as nice as 911's are unless the Aston's driving experience was a let down..... the Aston's luxury,V-12, and gorgeous looks would probably do it for me between those two.

The other cars could be used as daily drivers, but I would be less likely to pick them over the Porsche and Aston for this purpose. Not a problem though, as I am certain people with the means to buy these cars have several in their "fleets" to choose from.

For a toy, it would come down to the Ferrari and the GT. With it's big horsepower numbers and classic race car look I would have to take the Ford. The Lambo is juts too "rolling gold chain" for me, and the Lotus, while gorgeous and a bargain, is getting old and has to show it compared to the others. Also, I think the Lambo is going to end up "weak" as far as performance numbers go comapred to the others from what I have seen already.

Overall, if I was grading these cars. The Lambo gets a C+ for the garrish looks and mediocre performance for the money, the Lotus gets a B- for great value and power, even in such an old platform, the DB7GT gets an A- for being the uber-powerful luxury car that does a better job of being a Vanquish than the Vanquish, the 911 Turbo gets an A- too for being great all around, but pricey and not quite gorgeous enough, and the Ferrari gets a A- as well for being beautiful, but a step back in looks from the 355 and for it's relatively practical and still a race car attitude. I give the GT an A (nearly an A+) for value, awesome looks,and serious power and handling.....the A+ is reserved for when the handling improves enough to be noticeably better than the Modena (Assuming this ever happens) and another 100 horsepower shows up (An assumption, and a hope, as well).

And, around a road course, the GT is almost certainly going to be much more than just a few tenths quicker than the Modena. The ultimate Modena, the Stradale, couldn't beat the GT around the circuit, and a Viper wouldn't outrun a Stradale on the road course if you shot it from a cannon. However, as the Viper really isn't in the league of the rest of these cars, and isn't in this comapro either, let's let this go at that and stick to the topic.

[kfoote]

Originally Posted by syr74

...As for the GT being in 911 GT2 and 550 Maranello price territory, it isn't even close. The 911 GT2 is a 200,000 dollar car and the 550M is even more than that. A standard Porsche 911 Turbo costs more than a new Ford GT, and Ferrari's "entry level" 360 Modena is significantly more than the Ford as well with that 550M making the Mdoena look bargain basement...

Sorry, my bad, the price of $150k I found was for a used 550 Maranello, MSRP is right around $200k. I hadn't checked the 911 GT2, but MSRP on that is $193k, both outside of the price range of the Ford GT.

I would pick the standard 911 Turbo over the GT only because of the AWD. If I didn't have to drive it in the rain or snow (as I imagine most people looking at these cars don't) the GT gets the edge.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by syr74

And, around a road course, the GT is almost certainly going to be much more than just a few tenths quicker than the Modena. The ultimate Modena, the Stradale, couldn't beat the GT around the circuit, and a Viper wouldn't outrun a Stradale on the road course if you shot it from a cannon. However, as the Viper really isn't in the league of the rest of these cars, and isn't in this comapro either, let's let this go at that and stick to the topic.

I wasn't trying to bring the Viper into this comparison. I was trying to make the point that the GT only beat the Viper by 10ths of a second so I don't think it will be just trouncing on a 360. That was my point, you took it out of context.

[flylwsi]

the GT only beat the Viper by 10ths of a second

it doesn't matter if you win by an inch, or a mile...

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by flylwsi

it doesn't matter if you win by an inch, or a mile...

Damn you, damn you and Neutrino and your TFATF quotes.

[TatII]

in the recent car and driver. they put a ford GT against the top of hte line F360 Stradale Challenge. and the new 911 GT3. and the Ford was an average of 2 seconds faster per lap, and can hit 0-150 almost 7 seconds faster then the porsche and hte ferrari. in my opinion for the price. nothing can beat the ford GT.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Polygon

Damn you, damn you and Neutrino and your TFATF quotes.

I deny everything....



now i'll just go to BK and get a burger since I only live my life a quarterpounder at a time

[syr74]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

I deny everything....



now i'll just go to BK and get a burger since I only live my life a quarterpounder at a time

Man, that was really, really bad. Clever, but bad.