I just read in this mornings' paper that Ford failed to trademark the GT40 name 30 years ago. It is now owned by Safir GT40 Spares Ltd. which sells replacement parts for the 160 GT40s built between 1964 and 1969. The owner wants $40 million from Ford from the name, so they are changing the name to "GT".

The next article in the paper said that Ford will resume production of the Cobra on Tuesday which it halted in mid October citing quality concerns. Ford would not specify the concerns. The quote from Alan Hall, spokesman for SVT was "It was something that was caught at the plant, and it's something that hopefully has been resolved. It was part of our regular process to ensure quality". Makes want to run right out and buy a Cobra. LOL
Tom

 

This was in Autoextremist.com a few weeks back:



The second article in Automotive News that caught my eye told of Bob Wood, an owner of Safir GT40 Spares Ltd. of Cincinnati. Wood, I learned, has refused to sell the Ford Motor Company rights to the GT40 name, which is owned by Safir.

You are perhaps wondering, as did I, how Ford could conceivably have lost control of the GT40 name in the first place. Lawyers, which Ford has in quantity, could tell you that, but I doubt that they could answer the question, "Why?" In any event, Ford lost it.

Unconstrained by the lack of a copyright, Ford had been trumpeting its new GT40 with an enthusiasm P.T. Barnum would have envied. But the car has now become the Ford GT-the name borne by the Eric Broadley-built forerunner of the GT40. So Ford GT it is, and no harm done that can't be rectified by a bar of Dr. Wampole's Egg Removing Facial Scrub. But the GT40 mess turned my mind back to my $10,000 invoice for the book review.

I read that Bob Wood had offered the GT40 name to Ford for $40 million and sensed that he is puzzled that, "Ford was unwilling to negotiate and wouldn't make an offer." This according to the spadework done by K.C. Crain of Automotive News.

I must give Wood credit for naming a price esthetically attuned to the item he has to sell (40 and 40, get it?), but he scores no points for common sense. Would you return phone calls from a telemarketer who offered you a cruise to the Bahamas if you would pay only the sales tax of $2,765,000? I wouldn't-because I'd be afraid he would find out where I live and come over some night and strangle the cat.

That's how Ford must have felt about so much as discussing a $40 million price tag for the GT40 name. If we assume that Ford will build as many as 5,000 Ford GTs, which it probably won't, Wood's opening shot would have cost $8,000 per unit. Wood should have asked for maybe $500 per car-which would amount to $2.5 million-and would at least have elicited a reply. But $40 million? I'm sorry, but that sum would set off Mother Goose's reality alarm.

 

I'd change to the name to "GT540" (get it?) and send Mr. Safir a box of fresh, steaming dog sh*t with the first GT540 nameplate and a torn-up check for $40 million on top.

 

Hey you should seriously tell ford that name cause I like that allot better then the GT40 and GT name. Besides I think they would like to send a steam pile of dog Sh*t to them also, HAHAHHAA.

 

I believe it was always called the Ford GT. Then it got the name GT40, which stuck. So it is really back to the original name..............with a cost savings of $40mill.


Which if you hadn't noticed Ford needs badly. Here is a three year chart of how Ford's doing

 

Here is a wild idea for Ford. The orginal name GT40 was derived from the car being only 40" tall at it's highest point. The new one is supposed to be 3" taller. How about a GT43?

 

Guys, please save those steaming piles for the Ford Motor Company, and do not send them to me!!!!! My family has two ****er spaniels named after British cars and race tracks where GT40's have raced. We now have Sir Morgan Goodwood and Sir Cooper Thruxton; Lady Molinda (my wife always wanted a dog named Molly) Snetterton, and Sir Aston Silverstone have passed away. We have all of the DS t hat we need.

What we need is the help of the FoMoCo enthusiasts to straighten out Ford, and have Ford stop screwing Safir and you people. Very young K.C.Crain did not tell what really happened in his article, from which article everything has exploded!! No one ever contacted us for the truth. Every article about the $4o million came fron the K.C.Crane article. I think that Young K.C. does not wish to annoy one of his Daddy's biggest advertisers, because he had all of the facts, and only told them in a way the was not correct, and made his Daddy's advertiser look good.

If anyone out there wants to know what really happened, and how Ford has screwed Safir and all of you, you certainly call me directly at 513-672-8105.

Ford was not willing to spend any money on the trademark, and never, never, (did I say never?) offered us anything. Ford told us that our company was worth that which we paid, and the only asset was the trademark and at anything that was more than what we paid, we had a windfall. Each of the three owners of our company owns a GT40. After we paid the taxes on the money that Ford was talking about, we could maybe buy a new set of wheels for our cars. Ford screwed us and all of you that want the car to be called a GT40.

Want the truth? Cal me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

GT or GT40, doesn't really make a difference to me. It's out of my price range. If I were Ford, I wouldn't have paid anything for the name either.

 

welcome to last year...

 

Mr. Wood must still be sore over this to bring up a thread this old...

 

how much is the new "gt40" going to cost? And when is it going to be out?
Shane

 

LOL...........literally. This thread is almost 11 months old

--Joe

 

damn you, that is what I was going to say

 

Maybe they should call it the GT Fordy

 

Damn thats clever. Kudos