Skip to main content

Have Kids Been Cheated Out of Their Moment with the Ford GT?

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company



The words of The Simpsons character Helen Lovejoy “Won’t somebody please think of the children!” comes to mind in a recent browse on Ebay.

Ahead of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, I recalled a press release from Ford announcing a promotion with model builder Revell. Having built so many models as a kid and continuing to construct sets to this day, it’s a good feeling to see the pass time is still in existence. At the Detroit show, a custom-built scaled Snap Kit of the 2017 Ford GT was offered to a specific audience of younger automotive enthusiasts. “Letting kids build their own Ford GT is a great way to introduce them to the Ford brand and create new enthusiasts,” is part of what Ford Licensing manager Mark Bentley said ahead of the Revell Make n’ Take model kit program at the show. Unless a significant sum of kids have chosen to gain PayPal accounts and sell their specialized model kits in on-line auctions, I believe what I’ve seen a situation where adults are profiting against the joy and enlightenment that some future car lover would feel.

As someone who remembers my youth as a kid who loved cars and now old enough to realize there is a serious concern that the diehard appreciation of automobiles is in danger of slipping with the generations following, I find we should do everything possible to make motoring a welcoming, vibrant field of exploration for young people. It distresses me to observe so many of this North American International Auto Show limited release models being posted for sale on Ebay. The Ford GT Snap Kits have attracted some very adult dollars. A review of completed listings on Ebay has shown there is at least a dozen that have sold for hefty sums. With one selling just under $40.00 Canadian, there are also examples of the Ford GT Snap Kits selling above $100. When that type of money is being spent by Ebay buyers, there is an unlikelihood these kits will be constructed in the manner intended. Fortunately for those who truly want to explore the Ford GT at a smaller scale, retail versions of the kit due in stores in April with a purchase price of $14.99 US.






Since I am an active user of Ebay who frequently uses the on-line auction service as a resource to locate items I would otherwise not find, I recognize my sharing of discontent could be I personally ‘biting the hand that feeds you’. However, sometimes I am stunned and appalled by how Ebay could bring back out the worst demons found within the otherwise acceptable system of capitalism. Clearly, our modern society is built on the realization that something one possesses (a skill, persona as well as an item).

It would just be a shame to know some child was unable to partake in the total excitement of a modern supercar in their own way due to a greedy quest for a quick buck.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Review

Photo Credit: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. untitled A companion to the NTT IndyCar Series finale weekend on the streets of Long Beach, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship staged a 26-car race on Saturday consisting of DPi, GTLM and GTD class machines. With the conclusion of the 1-hour, 40-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach sports car event, the overall winner was the #31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac shared by the driving duo of Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani. The victory was a decisive weekend for the Whelen Engineering Racing team that had scored the pole position and went on to take the checkered flag with a 10.95-second gap over the #01 Cadillac fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Kevin Magnussen and Renger van der Zande. Corvette Racing enjoyed a dominant outing in the GTLM category. Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R beat the #3 car shared by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor. Only three GTLM class vehicles ran at Long Be
Post a Comment
Read more

Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton Quickest In Qatar Qualifying

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd. Saturday’s qualifying for the inaugural Formula 1 race in the Arab nation of Qatar has assembled what is certain to be a dramatic opening lap showdown between this season’s title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. In setting the grid for Sunday’s 57-lap main event on the fast, high grip 5.380-kilometer Losail International Circuit, it was the driver of the #44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team race car that took honours. Lewis Hamilton’s pole-winning lap time of 1-minute, 20.827 seconds in the final Q3 session putting a cap on a time trial where the seven-time World Drivers’ Champion handily controlled through the three sessions. Joining Hamilton on the front row of the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix will be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing machine. The Honda-powered entrant was 0.455 seconds slower than the rival Mercedes race car. With the race at Losail being the third-to-last event on the 2021 Form
Post a Comment
Read more

Ignition for the Integra: Acura's New 2023 Sport Compact

Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. untitled In August, Honda’s luxury car brand Acura shared an intriguing teaser image accompanied by the revelation that a classic sport compact name would return. Included in a rather familiar close-up promotional shot capturing a headlamp and part of the Diamond Pentagon grille, the key focus was a nameplate reading “Integra”. A rear image of a five-door hatchback shape dropped in late September while a picture of a six-speed manual shifter released in mid-October clearly as a means to tantalize a modern premium sport compact crowd. After a 20-year hiatus, the Integra is once again part of the Acura lineup. A five-door hatchback touting a coupe-like shape, the 2023 Acura Integra will give entry-level luxury car buyers a strong taste of performance attitude. As was the case with the previous Integra models, the Honda Civic platform serves as the basis for this latest premium compact. While the new Civic hatchback’s silhouette i
Post a Comment
Read more