[99 pewtercoupe]

You have to apply for one and meet Ford's requirements

Ford GT application process to favor previous owners

Daytona Beach, Florida — Justin Verlander keeps calling about it. Jay Leno and other celebrities keep asking, too. Some would-be owners have even handed Ford Motor Co. executives blank checks and told them to write in a number.

But everyone who wants one of Ford’s new GT supercars has been told the same thing: apply online.

The Dearborn automaker will implement a rigorous vetting process for the 250 GTs that will be available at the end of this year. Executives say the online applications, which will go live sometime in February, are meant to reward longtime Ford customers and ensure the cars will be used on the road — and not kept in a museum or marked up and re-sold to the highest bidder.

“There’s a loyal following to the car,” Raj Nair, Ford’s product chief, said in an interview. “We want to prioritize people who are going to care about the car, keep the car and drive the car.”

Applicants will have to sign a legal document saying they won’t sell the vehicle for a certain amount of time to help prevent buyers from flipping them quickly for a profit. The application will be lengthy and ask a number of questions, like how many Ford vehicles a person has previously owned, how active they are on social media, and how often they plan to drive it.

“It will try to understand what your relationship with Ford is,” Nair said.

Executives haven’t said for how long they’ll produce the supercars, but it’s expected that demand will be so high that, many who want one won’t be able to get one.

I guess this process will also keep the dealers from putting obscene mark ups on them