California Dealer Chooses Sanity, Sells 2020 GT500 at MSRP
No crazy dealer markup here on this gorgeous GT500—it says a lot about the car business that this is a newsworthy event.
It’s not often that we find ourselves giving kudos to a dealership. However, when one does the right thing, we feel inclined to point it out. Given the way some dealers operate, the simple act of doing business the right way is worth attention. That’s the case here with this jaw-dropping Shelby GT500.*
Santa Monica Ford Lincoln in California is doing the unthinkable—they’re selling a 2020 GT500 at MSRP, just under $80,000. That’s right, no crazy markup attributed to “market adjustment.” The price listed on Ford’s website is the price you pay.
This is particularly interesting because it’s a large dealership in California. California routinely boasts some of the highest dealer markups in the country on limited-production cars. California law dictates that a price that is advertised must be honored—so no funny business here.
Could this be the start of a trend? Will we start seeing GT500s selling for reasonable prices soon? We certainly hope so. If a big dealer in California can do it, then smaller dealerships should as well. We’re getting tired of the insane markups some dealers are charging. The car seen here is pretty basic, with little in the way of options.
Low on Options, High on Horsepower GT500
We love the Rapid Red paint color, it’s certainly worth the extra $395. It’s a dynamic hue for sure, but it’s subdued and classy, too. Of course, there’s nothing particularly stealthy about a GT500, but the stripe delete goes a long way towards avoiding attention. Otherwise, this GT500’s options list is pretty bare. You won’t find carbon fiber accessories, Recaro seats, the handling package, or a Bang & Olufsen stereo here.
What you see is what you get, and that’s just fine by us. Brutal, 760 supercharged horses (and 625 lb/ft of torque) should be more than enough to keep anyone occupied. Even without the extra toys and performance options, the GT500 is an impressive performer in anyone’s book.
We won’t rehash the argument here about the GT500’s transmission. Of course we’d love a manual for its fun factor, but the seven-speed automatic is what we get whether we like it or not. It’s more than capable of handling the power of the supercharged V8 and rips off snappy shifts it lightning speed.
Even though this car is missing a few of the options we’d like to see, we’d be more than happy to have it in our garage. With that said, we doubt that this one will last long at this price.
*UPDATE: We contacted the dealership via phone and they mentioned that there is actually a $50K ADM that isn’t represented in the ad here. What a shame, but we still believe this may start a trend.
Photos: Santa Monica Ford Lincoln
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