2018 Ford GT Buyer’s Guide: The 222-Mile Gulf Blue Car and What Early Second-Gen GTs Bring

The 222-Mile Gulf Blue 2018 Ford GT on Bring a Trailer

Some supercars draw a crowd because they’re loud. The second-generation Ford GT draws one because almost nobody has seen one move. This 2018 car is a good example. Originally delivered to Bozeman Ford in Montana, it showed up on Bring a Trailer in March 2024 from a dealer in Thousand Oaks, California, with just 222 miles. Bidding closed on March 22, 2024 at $910,000, and the reserve was not met. Its window sticker shows a total MSRP of $490,900, which included Gulf Blue paint, a $30,000 extended-palette color.

Specifications:

• Model: 2018 Ford GT, second generation
• Mileage: 222
• Color: Gulf Blue
• Interior: Black Alcantara, Dark Energy package
• Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, rated 647 hp and 550 lb-ft
• Transmission: Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle
• Wheels and tires: 20-inch Satin Silver forged aluminum on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
• Brakes: Brembo carbon-ceramic, orange calipers
• Body: butterfly doors, retractable active rear wing, rear diffuser, carbon-fiber exterior trim
• Paperwork: window sticker, clean Carfax, clean Montana title

Why 2017 to 2019 GTs Are the 647-Horsepower Cars

Early second-generation cars, built for the 2017 through 2019 model years, carry the original rating of 647 hp and 550 lb-ft. For 2020 Ford raised output to 660 hp with new pistons, coils, intercoolers and air ducts, and made a titanium exhaust standard. On paper the later cars are better, but the early ones are the original GT experience, and with only 13 hp between them, the difference matters more to the spec sheet than to most drivers. (We cover the 2020 update and the lightweight package in our Ford GT Carbon Series story.)

Underneath, every second-gen GT is built the same way. A carbon-fiber monocoque is bolted to front and rear aluminum subframes that act as stressed members for the hydraulically adjustable pushrod suspension. Variable ride height, a front-axle lift, selectable drive modes and launch control are standard. The brakes are serious: orange Brembo six-piston monoblock calipers over 15.5-inch carbon-ceramic rotors up front, and four-piston calipers over 14.1-inch rotors at the rear.

Inside, this car’s Dark Energy package puts black Alcantara over Sparco seats with manually reclining carbon-fiber shells. The driver’s seat is fixed, so the pedal box and steering column adjust to you instead. You also get automatic climate control, suede-covered door sills, a touchscreen infotainment system and a configurable digital instrument panel. A lightweight Gorilla Glass windshield is up front.

The Application Program and the Two-Year Rule

You couldn’t just walk into a dealer and buy a new GT. Ford made buyers apply, picked owners it believed would drive and keep the cars, and had them agree not to resell within 24 months. Ford enforced it. In late 2017 it sued wrestler and actor John Cena after he sold his 2017 GT shortly after taking delivery, and the two sides settled in June 2018 on undisclosed terms. For a 2018 car like this one, that restriction expired long ago, but it explains why so many early GTs barely have any miles on them.

Production was handled by Multimatic in Markham, Ontario, starting in December 2016. Ford planned 1,350 road cars in total. In February 2022 Ford said car No. 1,100 had just been built and production would end that December.

Heritage Editions and Special GTs to Know

If you shop for a GT, you’ll run into the Heritage Editions, which carry the liveries of Ford’s historic race winners. A Ford spokesperson gave Motor Authority these build numbers:

• 2017 ’66 Heritage Edition: 27 built, honoring the No. 2 GT40 Mk II that Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove to the 1966 Le Mans win
• 2018 ’67 Heritage Edition: 39 built, after the No. 1 GT40 Mk IV that won Le Mans in 1967
• 2019 Gulf livery Heritage Edition: 50 built, wearing No. 9 for the 1968 Le Mans winner
• 2020 Gulf livery Heritage Edition: 50 built, wearing No. 6 for the 1969 winner
• 2021 ’66 Daytona Heritage Edition: 50 built, for the No. 98 car Ken Miles drove to victory at the 1966 Daytona 24
• 2022: the ’64 Prototype and Alan Mann Heritage Editions, among the final special models

This car isn’t one of those. Its Gulf Blue is a solid color from the extended palette, not a numbered Gulf livery car, so price it against standard 2017 to 2019 GTs, not Heritage Editions.

Price, and What to Check Before You Bid on a Ford GT

A high bid of $910,000 against a $490,900 sticker tells you where early GTs stood in 2024. The seller expected more and kept the car. If you’re shopping for one, here’s what we’d check first:

• Window sticker and options: paint, carbon packages and wheel choices move values by tens of thousands of dollars.
• Title and history: this car came with a clean Carfax showing time in Montana and New Jersey and a clean Montana title.
• Tire age: a 222-mile car can still be several years old, and old Cup 2 tires have no business on a 200-mph car.
• Systems check: make sure the front-axle lift, active wing, ride-height modes and butterfly doors all work as they should.
• Service records: look for maintenance by a dealer qualified to service the GT, even on a car that has barely been driven.

Final thoughts on the 2018 Ford GT: it’s still one of the purest modern American supercars, and an early 647-hp car with low miles is about as close to new as you’ll ever get. For the Carbon Series side of the story, see what the lightweight 2021 Ford GT Carbon Series changed and how a Triple Yellow example sold for $900,000.

Photos: BaT. Sources: Bring a Trailer listing and result; Motor Authority; court filings in Ford Motor Co. v. Cena (E.D. Mich. 2017) as reported by Automotive News.

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