TTAC's Ford GT: Oneself Versus the Self

It happened: TTAC’s Ford GT arrived.

And the moment felt extra special because it isn’t a foreign exotic — it’s an American Supercar evoking a rich branding history buried deep within many of us. I reckon every GT delivery is loaded with Ford-centric stories involving family, friends and passersby.

Because my first car was a Ford deemed impressive by my public school classmates: a triple black hardtop Galaxie on beefy 15×8″ chrome smoothies. It was even cooler knowing the backstory of my Godfather giving it to me, but whatever — it was just a cool ride for a dorky outcast.

Yet it forced me to question everyone’s newfound excitement when no such interest existed beforehand. All the attention was…shocking.

That attention came back: combining years of prolonging answers to questions from friends/folks on social media with the execution of Ford’s brilliant influencer marketing ecosystem, TTAC’s GT definitely revisits the schoolyard hype around my Galaxie.

But the older, wiser me seeks to appreciate cars on merits alone. No deeper implications for one’s ego. Which is quite the conversation killer, drawing stares of disbelief whenever asked about any form of aspirational transportation.

The Ford GT delivery changes nothing, with a percussive Richard Spaven joint stuck on repeat in my head:

We’re all equal

The longer-than-expected wait thankfully netted an allocation for the rarer Carbon Series: a generous gesture from the folks in Dearborn.

This version is about 40 lbs lighter thanks to standard carbon fiber wheels, titanium lug nuts and exhaust tubes (with a deeper tone than the base system) and an extra-ventilated engine cover. Oh, and more carbon fiber bits, including those (cliché) racing stripes…that you cannot delete on this package.

Never intended to be subtle, when finished in Ingot Silver sans orange accents (peep them on Google Image Search) the Ford GT Carbon Series is relatively calm and collected.

Perhaps a full road test (and Vellum Venom) has merit. But after all the digital ink spilled since we started this journey, what’s left to say?

You tell me.

Because if you don’t, I’ll include the Pilot Fish with TTAC’s Silver Shark: 30 years separate these cutting-edge V6 Flagship Fords, but the similarities go beyond their seemingly-inappropriate engine choices. Yes, compared to their V8-blessed (4.5L Cadillac DeVille, McLaren 720s) competition, both are 10 percent-ish short on horsepower. Yet both possess cutting edge, unique(ish) engineering that’s immensely rewarding to experience.

What’s the great reward? For starters, having the Pilot Fish at delivery was entertaining and satisfyingly relevant: one attendee arrived in an FD Mazda RX-7, and totally understood my madness after comparing the Pilot Fish to a Mazda 929. He quickly regaled us with the merits of a 929 from his past, including Mazda’s cool oscillating vents.

We are all equal. But some are more equal — see how peeps following me on Instagram responded to this question:

Hopefully this was the most bizarre Ford GT delivery you’ve seen on the Internet… and now you’re gonna help TTAC write the next twisted chapter.

[Images: © 2019 Sajeev Mehta/The Truth About Cars]