- Bring a Trailer is auctioning the 2004 Ford GT Continuation Prototype 1, the first running GT, which was used for emissions testing.
- The GT still packs a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 but is limited to a top speed of 5 (yes, five) mph by a Ford-installed chip.
- The CP-1 has been autographed by Carroll Shelby and Bill Ford, among others, and has only traveled 1212 total miles.
UPDATE 6/24/21, 3:25 p.m.: According to the racer355, who said on the Bring a Trailer site that he is the seller, the chip that limits the car to 5 mph can be removed. That would allow it to be driven like a normal Ford GT, utilizing all of 500 horsepower to shoot to 60 mph in a claimed 3.3 seconds. However, the owner cautions, “I wanted to remove the limiter and drive the car at speed with my dealer plate as it would be legal for road testing purposes, but self control got the better of me.”
The first running and driving prototype of the first-generation Ford GT has come up for sale on the Bring a Trailer auction site, providing a chance for some person (or museum) to own a unique piece of automotive history. The vehicle, referred to as Confirmation Prototype 1 (CP-1), is black with white graphics and was employed by Ford for emissions testing and making sure the car met road certification requirements.
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The 2004 Ford GT CP-1 derives its power from the same supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 as other Ford GTs, but this prototype’s top speed is restricted to just 5 mph due to a chip installed by Ford. Also, unfortunately, the prototype is not street legal. Although this effectively turns the CP-1 into a slowly rolling sculpture, protecting this GT is wise for historical value, and because it carries the signatures of those who helped develop it: Carroll Shelby, executive chairman Bill Ford, GT designer Camilo Pardo, and chief engineer Fred Goodnow.
Other than the development team’s autographs, there are a few key differences between the CP-1 and a production GT. Bearing the serial number 00004, the CP-1 features a carbon-fiber rear clamshell, an aluminum headliner, and an exposed rear bumper. The exhaust pipes were designed for emissions experimentation, and there are nozzles on the sill on the passenger side for testing different grades of fuel. The number 5406 is painted on the front bumper. The CP-1 wears 18-inch BBS wheels up front and 19-inch wheels in the rear, shod in 235/45 and 315/40 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires.
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The interior is a bit scraped together. The leather steering wheel houses an airbag from the Mustang of the time and is attached to a steering column from the Ford Windstar minivan. There is a CD player installed, so you can jam out while cruising up and down your driveway at 5 mph, and you can find handwritten instructions and details from when the vehicle was being tested. Also, minor point: the front spoiler is currently “secured with zip ties,” according to the BaT listing.
The CP-1 was bought directly from Ford by a collector in 2008 before moving on to the selling dealer around five years ago, who reportedly replaced the battery and the mass airflow sensor. The odometer reads 1212 miles, and an hour meter shows just 217 hours of engine operation.
Currently, bidding on the 2004 Ford GT CP-1 sits at $200,000, but there are still several days remaining on the auction, which ends on June 30. If you want a GT you can actually drive on the road, there’s also a 3600-mile 2005 Ford GT for sale on Bring a Trailer right now, but you will also need a deep wallet to nab this example, with bidding already up to $315,000 on an auction that ends June 27.
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