For one great American carmaker, the early 2000s was all about organizing a big birthday party. But instead of some jelly and ice cream and a few vol-au-vents, this company had something special in store. A new supercar was on the cards, with a supercharged V8 and, while it was utterly forward-thinking in its tech and build, the car unashamedly harked back to perhaps the greatest moment in the company's history.In the era of retro-mobiles – we're looking at you BMW Mini, Plymouth Prowler, and Nissan Figaro – this would be the ultimate nostalgia throwback that would make the world sit up and notice this decades-old car builder which wasn't exactly in its rudest of health. It was audacious, daring, and a little bit bonkers, but this supercharged supercar helped change the firm's fortunes and get it back on track. There was another very limited production car that came first, and we refer to that later in the article. The 2005 Ford GT Was The First Supercharged Mid-Engined V8 Car Bring A Trailer In 2003, Ford celebrated its 100th birthday. In honor of Henry Ford, who started the company on June 16, 1903, and who said the Model-T is offered in "any color so long as it is black", the company offered some limited edition centennial models also in black. So you could buy a black 2003 Ford Focus sedan with a commemorative keychain. Elsewhere, however, Ford was working on a new supercar, which was being wheeled out at one of the company's 100th birthday events. Nice as the Focus is, this was the real star of this momentous anniversary. The Ford GT Is A Modern Supercar Wrapped In A Vintage Style Bring A Trailer The Ford GT may have dropped two digits, but it was suspiciously similar to the iconic GT40. Yes, that GT40, the one that beat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, and they made a Hollywood film out of it. Bear in mind that retro styling was all the rage in the 2000s, with many manufacturers, such as Volkswagen for the new Beetle, digging into their back catalog for inspiration. Ford itself also had another old-school-styled car on the go at this point too, the fifth-generation Mustang, and that kicked off a whole new renaissance for the Mustang that is still going strong today. Underneath that retro skin, the Ford GT was thoroughly modern, however. The Supercharged V8 Gave Astonishing Performance Bring A Trailer In the middle of the Ford GT is a monstrous powerplant. Ford’s all-aluminum 5.4-liter V8 mill was fitted with a supercharger, creating an output of 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. These figures might not seem that groundbreaking now, but 20 years ago that was supercar territory and enough to propel the big Ford to a top speed of 205 mph and 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, which was quicker than a Porsche Carrera GT. As one last reminder of the 100th anniversary of Ford, the GT even has an Easter egg in one of its front headlights. A Closer Look At The Ford GT's Powerplant Bring A Trailer 2005 Ford GT SpecsUnderneath the rear clamshell is a bespoke version of Ford’s 5.4-liter Modular V8, equipped with a Lysholm twin-screw supercharger with intercooler. The engine is mated to a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission featuring a helical limited-slip differential. The bodywork is made up of an aluminum spaceframe chassis with aluminum body panels, plus an aluminum-over-carbon engine cover. A system of rear diffusers helps channel the air from under the car. The suspension set-up on the Ford GT features double wishbone short-long arm independent suspension with coilovers. The GT's Supercharger Was A Relatively Simple Route To Big Horsepower Bring A Trailer It is unclear whether Ford considered turbocharging the GT, but the decision to use a supercharger has some advantages. Superchargers are powered directly from the car's engine, rather than using exhaust gas like a turbocharger, and don't suffer from lag, so power delivery is often more linear. However, there can be parasitic horsepower loss – in other words, the supercharger is taking power from the engine and making it work harder – although, with a curb weight of just 3350 lbs, the GT's 500 horsepower was clearly enough to take it to hypercar levels of performance. Finally, the supercharger set-up is a relatively simple and cost-effective way of generating power; Meaning that when the GT arrived for the 2005 model year, it cost $149,000 – almost $50,000 cheaper than a 2004 Ferrari Challenge Stradale which had 75 horsepower less. Supercharged Mid-Engined Cars Are A Rare Breed supercharged MR21988 Toyota MR2 SuperchargedMid-engined cars are often either naturally aspirated with crazy rev limiters, huge displacement, or a couple of turbochargers, with the supercharger generally only a walk-on extra. That's not to say it hasn't been done. In 2006, the wild Koenigsegg CCX arrived with a twin-supercharged 4.7-liter V8 churning out 795 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque. The car can reach 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 245 mph. The earlier Koenigsegg CC8S arrived before the Ford GT, produced between 2002 and 2003, but only six were made compared to 3,452 Ford GTs, according to Goodcarbadcar.net.The 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged was the answer to a question probably not many people asked – why doesn't it have more power? The MR2 was all about modest power and mid-engined thrills, but the new car had a 4A-GZE motor with a Roots-type blower. Don't expect the MR2 to suddenly enter supercar territory. It still only has 145 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque, but a 2604 lb curbweight means it's not slow. The dinky Toyota can hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds.The Lotus Elise SC arrived in 2008 with a supercharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4 pumping out 218 horsepower. An honorary mention for the supercharged mid-engine discussion goes to the 1994 Toyota Previa, which featured a mid-engined layout and a supercharged 2.4-liter engine rated at 161 horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque. Buying A Ford GT Today ford GT Heritage Ford GT Prices 2005 Ford GT: $353,000 2006 Ford GT: $353,000 2006 Ford GT Heritage: $433,000 Source: Hagerty Valuation Tool (Good Condition)The original Ford GT was sold for the 2005 and 2006 model years. While it is every inch the exotic supercar, Ford managed to sell several thousand of them, so they are not as rare as other cars in this category. A 2005 Ford GT now costs $353,000 in good condition, according to Hagerty Valuation Tools, and the 2006 model has the same value. The Ford GT Heritage models of that year complete with Gulf Oil racing livery, of which 343 were made, command higher prices, fetching $433,000.