Of Course Jay Leno Bought A Mustang GTD And Had Ford’s CEO Deliver It
Jay Leno’s garage has a new resident. The comic car collector is one of the lucky few customers who were granted permission by Ford to buy a Mustang GTD.
The process involved asking applicants about their Ford ownership history and whether they considered themselves an “influencer of public opinion.”
Leno doesn’t do dances on TikTok, but he has 3.85 million subscribers on YouTube and has owned many Fords, including the last generation Ford GT, which was sold through a similar vetting system.
It’s a little ironic, considering Leno has said he doesn’t buy Ferraris because the company makes you go through hoops to purchase its latest models, with dealers asking you to buy other cars if you want the good one and charging markups, but he’s apparently at or near the top of Ford’s list.
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The Mustang GTD has a base price of $318,760, but is also subject to a mandatory $3,700 gas guzzler tax. Leno’s blue car is equipped with the optional performance package that adds a drag reduction system, a carbon fiber hood and several other options that likely jacked the price up by tens of thousands of dollars. Ford also charges a $5,500 delivery fee, but threw in something special for Leno.
Ford CEO Jim Farley came along and appeared on the “Jay Leno’s Garage” show to talk about the car while Leno drove it through the canyon roads near Los Angeles.
“If feels extremely light and nimble on its feet.” Leno said.
“If you’re finding the limits of this thing on a public road, you’re going to jail.”
Leno noted that the car was still in the break-in period and that he’d be doing a follow-up video when they have “all the horsepower dialed-in.”
That would be 815 hp, which is good for a 202 mph top speed and a Nürburgring lap record for cars from American brands.
Technically, it’s the torque that is restricted, according to the Mustang GTD’s owner’s manual, which says:
“Avoid track driving during the first 250 mi (402.3 km). After 250 mi (402.3 km), the full torque is available, and the break-in is complete. The transmission learns and adapts to your driving style in the first 100 mi (160.9 km). As the transmission learns, shift feel may change and improve.”
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Considering how many Ford GTs show up on auction blocks with far less than 250 miles on their odometers, it’s likely that Leno will have one of the highest-mileage Mustang GTDs by the time he’s allowed to sell it in two years, which is how long buyers must agree to keep their cars before flipping them.