FORD GT COMMERCIAL TO AIR DURING THE BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL PRECEDING THE ACADEMY AWARDS®
The 2005 Ford GT - Ford's 550 horsepower supercar - will make its third television appearance debut during The Barbara Walters Special on the evening of the Academy Awards Feb. 29.
"The One," a 60-second commercial, highlights the Ford GT as the "Pace Car for an Entire Company."
Traffic increased on www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt by 1,342 percent after "The One" was first broadcast.
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 26, 2004 - Ford Division's hugely popular Super Bowl advertisement for the Ford GT supercar will air again on Sun., Feb. 29 during The Barbara Walters Special on ABC. The special will air preceding the Academy Awards on the East Coast at 7:00 p.m., ET, and immediately follows the Academy Awards on the West Coast.
The 60-second Ford GT commercial titled "The One", which first aired during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game broadcast, positions the 550 horsepower supercar as the "pace car for an entire company."
"'The One' has generated a lot of buzz for Ford and the Ford GT in the press, on the Internet and at water coolers around the country," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager.
"The One" Captures Ford GT at Triple Digit Speeds
Ford elected to create a commercial that puts the GT in the only element where drivers can safely and legally explore the upper limits of the car's awesome abilities: a racetrack.
As a professional driver navigates the hilly and winding, three-mile, 15-turn road racing course at Thunderhill Park in Willow, Calif., a voice asks the viewer three questions - timed to the driver's gear changes:
1. "In what gear do you…realize that a car is everything it is supposed to be?"
2. "In what gear do you know nothing can catch you?"
3. "In what gear, do you know it is the one?"
"Introducing the Ford GT. This is the one."
The ad ends with the tagline "The pace car for an entire company."
"The Ford GT was built by people who love great cars, and Ford Motor Company is full of people who share the same passion but work on our high volume cars, SUVs and trucks," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager. "That's why it's the company's pace car, and that's the spirit we think we have captured in 'The One.'"
Filming for the commercial took place entirely on location at Thunderhill in mid-January.
"Our test driver topped speeds of 140 mph and never shifted higher than fourth gear," Stoddart said. "There was absolutely no need to use editing tricks to make the GT appear faster on film."
"The One" was created by WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson USA.
History of the Ford GT
The design inspirations for the Ford GT were the Ford GT40s of the 1960s, which were developed on the orders of Henry Ford II to challenge Ferrari for road-racing supremacy. The challenge turned into a rout in 1966, when Ford GT40s crossed the finish line 1-2-3 at the Twenty-Four Hours of LeMans - wins that helped Ford earn the World Manufacturer's Championship for sports cars.
A concept version of the Ford GT was unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. That spring, Ford approved the car for production, and just over a year later, the first production-level cars were unveiled at Ford's Centennial celebration in June 2003.
Pacing the World
The performance potential of the Ford GT is incredible. For its January 2004 cover story, "Judgment Day!" Car & Driver magazine clocked the Ford GT's 0-60 mph acceleration at 3.3 seconds, and it crossed a quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 128 mph. In the same test, Ferrari's $193,000 Challenge Stradale took four seconds to reach 60 mph, and was 0.8 seconds and 13 mph slower through the quarter-mile.
Each Ford GT will be powered by a hand-built aluminum 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 producing 550 horsepower and 500 lb.- ft. of torque. That power is put to the ground through a rear-mounted Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle.
The car is built around an exceptionally stiff but lightweight aluminum space frame and the suspension is a double-wishbone design with coil-over monotube dampers. Aluminum is also used for the body panels, and other lightweight materials, carbon fiber and magnesium, are used throughout the vehicle. The braking system uses four-piston Brembo calipers that grip massive 14-inch front and 13.2-inch rear cross-drilled and vented rotors.
Ford GTs Arrive in Showrooms this Summer The 2005 Ford GT will be built at Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Mich. Production will begin in summer 2004 with deliveries to dealerships beginning shortly after that. Several hundred vehicles are expected to be built this year. The Ford GT's MSRP of $139,995 excludes optional equipment, destination and delivery charges, applicable taxes, and title, license and registration fees. Transaction prices will be determined by authorized Ford dealers.
The 2005 Ford GT - Ford's 550 horsepower supercar - will make its third television appearance debut during The Barbara Walters Special on the evening of the Academy Awards Feb. 29.
"The One," a 60-second commercial, highlights the Ford GT as the "Pace Car for an Entire Company."
Traffic increased on www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt by 1,342 percent after "The One" was first broadcast.
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 26, 2004 - Ford Division's hugely popular Super Bowl advertisement for the Ford GT supercar will air again on Sun., Feb. 29 during The Barbara Walters Special on ABC. The special will air preceding the Academy Awards on the East Coast at 7:00 p.m., ET, and immediately follows the Academy Awards on the West Coast.
The 60-second Ford GT commercial titled "The One", which first aired during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game broadcast, positions the 550 horsepower supercar as the "pace car for an entire company."
"'The One' has generated a lot of buzz for Ford and the Ford GT in the press, on the Internet and at water coolers around the country," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager.
"The One" Captures Ford GT at Triple Digit Speeds
Ford elected to create a commercial that puts the GT in the only element where drivers can safely and legally explore the upper limits of the car's awesome abilities: a racetrack.
As a professional driver navigates the hilly and winding, three-mile, 15-turn road racing course at Thunderhill Park in Willow, Calif., a voice asks the viewer three questions - timed to the driver's gear changes:
1. "In what gear do you…realize that a car is everything it is supposed to be?"
2. "In what gear do you know nothing can catch you?"
3. "In what gear, do you know it is the one?"
"Introducing the Ford GT. This is the one."
The ad ends with the tagline "The pace car for an entire company."
"The Ford GT was built by people who love great cars, and Ford Motor Company is full of people who share the same passion but work on our high volume cars, SUVs and trucks," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager. "That's why it's the company's pace car, and that's the spirit we think we have captured in 'The One.'"
Filming for the commercial took place entirely on location at Thunderhill in mid-January.
"Our test driver topped speeds of 140 mph and never shifted higher than fourth gear," Stoddart said. "There was absolutely no need to use editing tricks to make the GT appear faster on film."
"The One" was created by WPP Group's J. Walter Thompson USA.
History of the Ford GT
The design inspirations for the Ford GT were the Ford GT40s of the 1960s, which were developed on the orders of Henry Ford II to challenge Ferrari for road-racing supremacy. The challenge turned into a rout in 1966, when Ford GT40s crossed the finish line 1-2-3 at the Twenty-Four Hours of LeMans - wins that helped Ford earn the World Manufacturer's Championship for sports cars.
A concept version of the Ford GT was unveiled at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. That spring, Ford approved the car for production, and just over a year later, the first production-level cars were unveiled at Ford's Centennial celebration in June 2003.
Pacing the World
The performance potential of the Ford GT is incredible. For its January 2004 cover story, "Judgment Day!" Car & Driver magazine clocked the Ford GT's 0-60 mph acceleration at 3.3 seconds, and it crossed a quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at 128 mph. In the same test, Ferrari's $193,000 Challenge Stradale took four seconds to reach 60 mph, and was 0.8 seconds and 13 mph slower through the quarter-mile.
Each Ford GT will be powered by a hand-built aluminum 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 producing 550 horsepower and 500 lb.- ft. of torque. That power is put to the ground through a rear-mounted Ricardo six-speed manual transaxle.
The car is built around an exceptionally stiff but lightweight aluminum space frame and the suspension is a double-wishbone design with coil-over monotube dampers. Aluminum is also used for the body panels, and other lightweight materials, carbon fiber and magnesium, are used throughout the vehicle. The braking system uses four-piston Brembo calipers that grip massive 14-inch front and 13.2-inch rear cross-drilled and vented rotors.
Ford GTs Arrive in Showrooms this Summer The 2005 Ford GT will be built at Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant in Wixom, Mich. Production will begin in summer 2004 with deliveries to dealerships beginning shortly after that. Several hundred vehicles are expected to be built this year. The Ford GT's MSRP of $139,995 excludes optional equipment, destination and delivery charges, applicable taxes, and title, license and registration fees. Transaction prices will be determined by authorized Ford dealers.
