Normally, a virtually brand new 2005 Ford GT with only 60 miles on the clock would be a dream come true for hardcore Ford fans, but this one heading to the RM Sotheby's Monterey auction in California has a rather notorious history. That's because it's the same car that Jeremy Clarkson owned and subsequently had a love-hate relationship with when the supercharged supercar kept misbehaving – much to the amusement of his Top Gear co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May.
After waiting two years for it to arrive, trouble started just one day after Clarkson received delivery of his dream supercar when he couldn't take it home after filming for Top Gear because the immobilizer failed. Ford fixed the immobilizer, but on the same night it was returned to Clarkson the alarm went off several times in the early hours of the morning.
If that wasn't already bad enough, the anti-theft tracking device accused him of stealing the car five times the same day. Frustrated with the troublesome GT's technical problems, Clarkson promptly returned it to Ford and got his money back, only to buy it back again. Buying back a car plagued with issues may seem foolish, but owning a Ford GT was a lifelong dream for Clarkson because he was never able to drive the original GT40 as he was too tall to fit inside. Judging from the low mileage, he clearly didn't get much joy out of it. Built to commemorate Ford's 100th anniversary and as a homage to the Le Mans-winning GT40, the GT listed for sale is number 1,664 out of the 2,011 models that were built.
This model was fitted with optional forged BBS wheels and racing stripes, and was also the 145th out of 190 GTs finished in Midnight Blue Clearcoat. Unlike the new V6-powered model, the second-gen Ford GT is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8 pumping out 550-hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. 0-62 mph takes just 3.3 seconds before it tops out at 205 mph. RM Sothebys estimates that Clarkson's GT will sell for $275,000 - $350,000 when it goes under the hammer on August 18th. A low-mileage second-gen Ford GT may seem tempting, but, given the problems Clarkson had with this model, we would advise approaching with caution if you intend to drive it anywhere. Photos courtesy of RM Auctions.