Slow Out of the Gate, Ford Says It Won't Skimp on GT Production

For those wealthy enough to afford a Ford GT — and lucky enough to be chosen by Ford for the current model run — relax, things could be worse. But there’s no denying that waiting on a car, especially one as scarce and desirable as the GT, is a painful experience. It’s one made all the more painful by the fact that GT production didn’t exactly lift gracefully from the launch pad.

Of the 250 GTs Ford planned to build for the 2017 model year, only 138 carbon-fiber beasts left partner Multimatic’s Canadian facility.

According to Motor Authority, which came across this tidbit on a Ford GT online message board, a number of issues cropped up early in the second-generation GT’s lifespan. Multimatic planned to build one of the EcoBoost-powered supercars a day, but the ramp-up instead took months. Ford’s partner only reached its goal in mid-2017 — more than half a year after the first GT left the facility.

“This is a hand-built supercar, which we are committed to deliver flawlessly. We built into our process an extended ramp-up due to several factors such as global homologation testing and supplier constraints,” a Ford spokesman said in a statement.

Multimatic hasn’t experienced this pace of production before, and a follow-up inquiry revealed that supplier issues and the extra time needed to paint “Victory” edition GTs added to the shortfall. Ford promises a full complement of 250 vehicles for the 2018 model year.

After announcing the initial two-year run, consumer demand for the GT overwhelmed Ford. The automaker soon found itself announcing an additional two years of GT production, wrapping up for the 2020 model year. However, the 138 vehicles built for 2017 means Ford has to play catch-up.

“We are building one Ford GT a day and are committed to building the vehicle for at least four years,” Ford’s spokesman said, adding, “We’re sticking to our initial commitment of 1,000 vehicles.”

[Image: Ford Motor Company]