Ford GT

So perhaps you aren't really "all that impressed" with a millionaires’ approach to purchasing a car, but just for now, let's indulge in a decadent fantasy that's a bit more "reasonably" priced at around £85,000. It's worth every penny. Although bordering on what some might consider Spartan in amenities, it's surprisingly comfortable and accommodating for a high-performance sports car. And it earns that high performance label, delivering an enthrallingly liberating driving experience, exhilarating speed and superior handling. It will stretch most drivers' personal limits on winding mountain roads while feeling not entirely out of sorts in commuter mode.

How does 550 in sheer horsepower sound? The Ford GT comes fully equipped with a 5.4-liter V8 that gives 500 pounds of torque. But this isn't your average Trans-am-esque chiseled muscle car; the Ford GT is a luxurious sports car in every way that it can be, in all of the ways that truly count. The Ford GT has a long, smooth and sensual design with spectacular lines, which means that this car will look stunning just standing still, but even better zooming by on your way to pick up your most recent European supermodel girlfriend.

For its 100th anniversary the Ford Motor Company wanted to launch a more than spectacular car which would bring fresh glimmer to its name, just as the Viper sports car has already accomplished for Dodge, and the Corvette has long accomplished for General Motors, hence the birth of the Ford GT a car that perpetually redefines the word sleek. Such marketing-inspired products are often nicknamed the "halo" cars, and they give manufacturers a chance to show off their advanced-engineering and manufacturing ideas.

The Ford GT is a mid-engined, ground-bound fighter plane of a car that harks back to the glory days of the 1960s, when Chairman Henry Ford II vowed to beat Ferrari in the famed 24-hour race at Le Mans. His low-slung Ford GTs won the race four times in a row from 1966 to 1969 before the company decided to rest on its laurels. Still, it's not intended for weekend getaways, as there's really no trunk to speak of. Think of it as an occasional escape from the everyday, as rapid transport to the mountain cabin, not as an alternative way of life. Put another way, it can't be the only car in the garage, but it'll be the car you'll want to drive. With the Ford GT, there's only one model, one engine and one transmission. It's a two-door, two-seat, much-massaged and softened rendition of the purpose-built racecar. The Ford GT standard MSRP of 78,500 pounds buys one everything to enjoy this car the way it should be. This includes air conditioning, AM/FM/CD/MP3 two-speaker stereo, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, power windows, seats and mirrors, abundant leather trim, keyless remote, and textured rubber floor mats.

An optional McIntosh stereo adds an eight-inch subwoofer and one-inch A-pillar speakers but still accommodating only a single CD and minus the MP3 capability. Other cool options of the Ford GT include: forged aluminum wheels, painted brake calipers in choice of red or gun metal gray (stock is black) and painted racing/body side logo stripes. Buyers looking for that understatement can easily opt to delete the standard Ford GT body side tape stripes. Standard safety equipment includes frontal airbags, antilock brakes, a child seat tether bracket and latch assembly on the passenger seat and a tire inflation kit in lieu of a spare tire.

Viewed by itself, the Ford GT can easily be mistaken for the original Le Mans-winning GT40 race car and its successors. Parked door by door, though, the car reveals the compromises necessary to deliver an honest, modern street car deserving of the gran tourismo moniker. It's larger in every dimension, fully 18 inches longer. The body ducting, while still functional, is more subtle, better integrated into the surface planes and curves. Still, there's no mistaking the Ford GT's raison d'etre. It's meant to be driven quickly and fast and lesser types assuming to share the same road beware. The Ford GT available in the U.S., so if you can come up with the cash, it's all yours. Just be sure you save enough money to pay for a few speeding tickets.