Photo: All Ford Mustangs
When McLaren introduced the F1 back in the 1990s, the British Formula 1 team and carmaker also introduced one of the hardest to service passenger vehicles the world had ever seen. Two and a half decades after the McLaren F1, FoMoCo has something in store for us that’s almost as hard and elaborate to service.
All Ford Mustangs has obtained an internal dealer document from which we find out that the newest supercar in the Ford Motor Company stable will be a nightmare for authorized service centers to work on. The requirements to become an authorized service center for the all-new-for-2017 Ford GT are simply mind-boggling for a car that, at the end of the day, is still a Ford.
Not only does the dealership need to invest in special tools and equipment, but the JIMGLO Elite trailer needed for the simple task of transporting a 2017 Ford GT is about $30k. A set of four GoJak 4520 wheel lift dollies with rolling dolly rack? That’ll be $1,500. Transmission jack adapter? $700, thank you!
The latter are needed because, as I’m sure you already know by now, the 2017 Ford GT is manufactured around a carbon fiber tub. Hence, you can’t lift it with an ordinary jack. And don’t even get me started about the hoisting procedures. The thing with servicing a GT at a dealer is that a handful of repairs can’t be done there. From the three levels of repair requirements, Group 3 repairs must be performed by the peeps at Multimatic.
“Multi-who?” Multimatic Inc., a Canadian company who had provided engineering know-how on the Aston Martin Vulcan, makes the world-renowned Multimatic DSSV dampers, built the carbon chassis of the Aston Martin One-77, and helps Ford build the GT. To be more specific, Multimatic makes the GT per se at its facility in Ontario. Here’s what Group 3 level repairs are about, as per the document obtained by All Ford Mustangs:
“These are major repairs that will be performed by Multimatic at the Multimatic vehicle assembly and repair facility. This group would include collision repairs, transportation damage beyond bolt on parts, major powertrain repairs, repairs that require splitting the back half of the car from the main vehicle tub assembly and other major repairs.” Hardcore stuff.
By comparison, Group 2A level repairs require the guidance of a Multimatic technician by phone, while Group 2B translates to “repairs that will be performed at the certified Ford GT service dealer by your Ford GT trained technician but require on-site assistance by a Multimatic Fly-In Doctor.” When all is said and done, the Blue Oval has really gone over the top with the GT.
Not only does the dealership need to invest in special tools and equipment, but the JIMGLO Elite trailer needed for the simple task of transporting a 2017 Ford GT is about $30k. A set of four GoJak 4520 wheel lift dollies with rolling dolly rack? That’ll be $1,500. Transmission jack adapter? $700, thank you!
The latter are needed because, as I’m sure you already know by now, the 2017 Ford GT is manufactured around a carbon fiber tub. Hence, you can’t lift it with an ordinary jack. And don’t even get me started about the hoisting procedures. The thing with servicing a GT at a dealer is that a handful of repairs can’t be done there. From the three levels of repair requirements, Group 3 repairs must be performed by the peeps at Multimatic.
“Multi-who?” Multimatic Inc., a Canadian company who had provided engineering know-how on the Aston Martin Vulcan, makes the world-renowned Multimatic DSSV dampers, built the carbon chassis of the Aston Martin One-77, and helps Ford build the GT. To be more specific, Multimatic makes the GT per se at its facility in Ontario. Here’s what Group 3 level repairs are about, as per the document obtained by All Ford Mustangs:
“These are major repairs that will be performed by Multimatic at the Multimatic vehicle assembly and repair facility. This group would include collision repairs, transportation damage beyond bolt on parts, major powertrain repairs, repairs that require splitting the back half of the car from the main vehicle tub assembly and other major repairs.” Hardcore stuff.
By comparison, Group 2A level repairs require the guidance of a Multimatic technician by phone, while Group 2B translates to “repairs that will be performed at the certified Ford GT service dealer by your Ford GT trained technician but require on-site assistance by a Multimatic Fly-In Doctor.” When all is said and done, the Blue Oval has really gone over the top with the GT.
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