My Girlfriend Gets the Christmas Gift of a Lifetime.
 

Original Article.

Maggie is a rare breed. She is a millennial, a female, she drives a standard, and she loves cars. Some say... she's a real catch, others say she's been secretly brainwashed by The Stig, but all I know, is that she's called my girlfriend.

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As most women are, she's still difficult to find a gift for, and she vehemently opposed me getting her any gifts, so this year I really had to think outside the box. Maggie has always loved the Ford GT, and it's always been by and far her favorite car of all time. So I thought I would take my chances, and see if I could find a GT owner in the area that would be willing to show Maggie a GT, as she's never seen one in person.

So I headed over to the Ford GT Forums and I posted a thread in hopes that I might find some one willing to help us me out.

Lo and behold, my prayers are answered by Gary, and he actually agrees to meet me at a local Cars & Coffee even in St. Petersburg.

Maggie and her family celebrate Yule as well, and if you're not familiar with the tradition, it entails staying up all night and greeting the sun in the morning. If you happen to be unfamiliar with Cars & Coffee, then you probably don't know that entails waking up rather early.

So when I pitched the idea of going and checking out some cars, she wasn't opposed, but she was less than thrilled about the idea of running on fumes that morning. So I asked her if she would want to go if I knew there was going to be a Ford GT there. Instantly her eyes lit up, and we were on for the next morning.

So we went to C&C, and I parked next to the FR-S/BRZ crowd, and we began to walk around. Maggie could initially see the tail lights of a few GT's through some hedges, but she insisted we walk around and look at some of the other cars, so that she could really admire the GT's.

We hop over the hedge and somehow Gary manages to spot me in the crowd. He introduced himself, and I introduced Maggie, but she was rather confused. None of us said anything about the GT, and Maggie told me later that she just assumed Gary was a a friend or acquaintance. He asked if we were sticking around for a while, and I told him we'd be sticking around for a while, and that I'd meet back with him later.

So we do a lap and check out most of the cars and then, then we finally look at the GT's. It's a bit much for Maggie to take in, so she insists we do another lap so she can regain her composure.

On the second visit to the GT's, I see Gary standing near his car, and I approach him to talk. I think that's about the time that Maggie figured out what was going on. Maggie was brought to tears as Gary was so kind to show off the engine bay, interior, start up and rev the engine, as well as give Maggie a little history lesson on the GT its heritage. I think Gary said it best himself when he stated that, "she channels GT40s like she lived through the 1960s."


It may be difficult to elaborate upon how much Maggie loves the GT, but it decorates her desktop and cellphone background, we have a Gulf livery RC body that I had painted for her, she had a model GT that she plays with on her desk, it's truly a small obsession for her.

Gary told Maggie that she would have the opportunity to ride in the GT alongside him some time soon, and so we swapped information and headed out to get some breakfast at Cracker Barrel where I took an obligatory 86 picture:

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Yes, mine is the stock one, but we're still honeymooning.

Gary and I continue bouncing back e-mails to set a date for Maggie to take the ride, and we arrive on Christmas morning. I don't think the date could have worked out any better for Maggie to receive her gift on Christmas day.

On Christmas Eve Maggie is someone stressed as she wants everything to be perfect. She asks me what she thinks she should wear, and she tells me her hair isn't clean enough, so she needs to wash it again. I'm on the other end of the phone face-palming a little bit, but I understood the importance of this ride to her.

We have a pleasant drive to meet Gary, we pulled up and saw the GT lingering in the garage in all of its majesty, and Maggie gets extremely excited as she starts to bask in the reality of what's going to happen.

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You'll have to forgive the lack of snow, but this is Christmas in Florida. Apparently Santa traded in his sleigh for a Ford GT, because Gary was truly Saint Nick in disguise.

Maggie's reaction really said it all. We were both left speechless as to how gracious Gary was to us.

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Merry (belated) Christmas to everyone on Oppo and Jalop. Gary is truly the model car enthusiast. Not only does he appreciate his car, but he appreciates every car for what makes it great, and he shares his enthusiasm with others.

Maggie and I could not be more thankful to have met Gary, and we are forever in his debt for this phenomenal Christmas.

And of course, and obligatory FR-S pictures:

http://photo.garyjean.com/img/s2/v50/p346320973.jpg
http://photo.garyjean.com/img/s9/v93/p272292329.jpg
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Edit: Added Video

that's pretty rad! She will never forget that. very cool.

Awesome story. Love the GT...

Red with white stripes Ford GT is IMHO one of the best looking cars ever produced.

Haha nice man. I'm not gonna lie, I'd be blue balling hardcore:

"CAN I DRIVE IT!? PLEASEEEE" -tantrum-

Very cool story! I like the pics of the FR-S next to the GT, interesting size comparison! Here's one that showed up randomly to a big meetup we had here a few months ago:

Damn. Super cool and definitely a model enthusiast to do that for someone he just met. Its stories like this we need to hear to remind us why we love cars

Very cool! The Ford GT is a legendary car.

Wow, what an amazing story!! That is awesome that he was able to meet up Christmas morning!!!

And all I gave my girlfriend was surprise butt secks...


Oh who am I kidding, I don't have a girlfriend. This story made me lonely.


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Mandy, my wife is a huge Top Gear fan and she drives a '11 MX5 after owning a '95 Miata for many years. I think she has also been brainwashed by The Stig. For that reason I have to thank you for such an awesome idea for her birthday next year. Now I have to start searching for a 50's Corvette.:bow:

Great story! The GT40 has such a gorgeous shape -- Maggie's got good taste. Sounds like a keeper :)

Love that paint job, better than the red if you ask me.

Wouldn't have a GT any other way. :D

Very cool story. Your a good guy and lucky to find a chick who enjoys and appreciates cars. Hang onto her.

well played sir
 

What does Gary think about your ride?

i would have put Maggie in geo metro convertible for xmas and locked her in. teach her not to lust.
good story

That was a nice story. I really like the Ford GT as well (not obsessed with it though) and this would be my favorite color combo:

http://vracer111.smugmug.com/Cars/Ra...L/GT16E-XL.jpg

My favourite supercar of all times plus a christmas story, very nice.

Gary has an NA Miata in his garage that's his daily driver. He thinks the FR-S/BRZ is the best thing to happen to the affordable sports car since the Miata, and he wouldn't mind having one himself.

I got my fiance a new hair dryer, all the Harry Potters on Blu-Ray, and Gator Bowl tickets....and 75% of the household income lol

Cool story, inspiring!

Great story, your GF is a keeper. My parents and my sister live in the Tampa area so I go there quite often, I might want to contact Gary for a ride as well lol!

Really cool stuff! My wife kind of does this :iono: when I talk about some cool car thing or a mod to my FR-S! (But she does like watching sports, fishing, and drinking beer, so I'm keeping her!)

One thing for you guys talking about the GT being a legend is you may not realize how different the Ford GT (modern car) is from the mid-60's GT40. They are similar in looks, but vastly different beyond that. The modern one is MUCH larger than the original. Look it up, there's some really cool history on both cars.

To troll hard, a Nash-Rambler Metro

I've seen the new one up close. That's really small to begin with.

The OG must be a dust mote. With a herkin' big ol' V8 making it dance :wub:

Oh, I like the original GT40 better than the GT...it's five inches lower (hence the name, Ford GT is 45 inches tall), looks better to me (the front nose most especially), and have wins at LeMans and many other major endurance races... between the GT40 and Porsche 916 are my favorite race cars of any era.

http://vracer111.smugmug.com/Cars/Ra...1280276-XL.jpg

http://vracer111.smugmug.com/photos/.../i-F7rnfqH.jpg

When it comes to car design era, I think the 60's still have not been matched yet...

I think it was a top gear episode where Jeremy went to get in the original and if he closed the door he'd have caved his head in. They were tiny tiny

That's why some of the originals have helmet bubbles in the roof!

Cool story. I have to say I'm not a big domestic automaker fan but the current Corvette and the Ford GT makes the exception. Yeah I think it's Jeremy of TG that was in love with the GT as well.

Several years ago, there was a black GT sitting on a stage right by the street on our local Ford dealer. It was gathering road dust and there was a big ad on the windshield saying something which I don't recall now. I do recall stopping by and confirming it is new and that the price is still $150k. I don't know where prices are now but I thought very hard about buying one and letting its value appreciate in my garage. Of course, with the occasional Sunday drive. Of course, other priorities in life took over ...

That's awesome you set this up for your girlfriend. It also goes to show that there are a lot of enthusiasts out there who have such vehicles and want to share it with those who aren't quite as fortunate as they are. I know for sure if I had the honor of owning one of those fine automobiles that I'd have to share it with others who appreciated them as well.

So.. if you had the money at the time, not to make you kick yourself, but anywhere from 200k up to half a million, depending on the edition and mileage.

he got so much ass from that :)