Educate us on PP, TT and VP builds

[Cobra Jet]

So with all of the discussions in this sub-forum and some others regarding “PP” and “TT” build designators - have any S550 GT350’s had a “VP” build designator?

Can anyone clarify how a PP, TT or VP build comes to be - and do they usually make it to the public based on an internal “XYZ” decision from higher ups at Ford?

Dish the details please!

The reason I’m asking (and not related directly to the S550) is I am the 2nd owner of my 1994 SVT Cobra. Granted not a “Shelby”, but still built as a limited and verifiable production vehicle. Total build was 6,009 (broken out as 1,000 Pace Car Convertibles and 5,009 Coupes).

My Cobra SVT Cert confirms my coupe is Build # 13 out of the 5,009. Now with that said, I’ve owned the car for 16 years now - and in that time I’ve searched high and low all across the web and sent numerous emails out to different Ford groups seeking out additional info. I’ve posted on all available forums I can join and know of from Mustangs, to Saleens, to SVOs, to Vintage, to SVT, to Concours, you name it - I’m probably a member... All I knew before getting my SVT Cert was that my VIN, when compared to all other 1994 Cobras I’ve documented and come across is the lowest I’ve seen to date. The only different or lower VIN I’ve documented is a 1994 that was pulled to do the 1995 Cobra R Prototype.

So I’m always left wondering:
What happened to SVT builds 1-12?
Was it normal for such a low build from 1994 to make it to the public for sale?

Questions you S550 members can’t answer for a 1994 Cobra - BUT it goes along the lines of ok, S550’s have those unique build identifiers and I’ve never really known the complete behind the scenes or “how it happens” at the production level details ...

So I’d love to learn more if anyone is willing to share and give us an education.

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[obspsd]

Fast forward to the 17:00 minute mark and Jim Owens gives a rough idea of what they mean.

 

[PP0001]

Keller, good catch with the Jim Owens explanation!

I posted a good deal of this on a thread named "Earliest GT350 & GT350R Build Dates" about 3 pages ago and it was post #15.

Not being a techy I did not know how to transfer that information over to this thread therefore mentioning above.

The terminology that I used for VP, TT, PP and MP was provided to me through various conversations with FRAP personnel along with some FP personnel but essentially it all means the same thing.

 

[obspsd]

Jim, thanks for posting both your car namely "PP011" along with "PP029" and found it interesting how your Certificate Of Authenticity did not mention that your car was 1 of 526 R models whereas the Certificate Of Authenticity for PP029 listed the 5643 regular GT350's built for the 2016 MY.

Prior to the 2011 model year I was trying to understand the various Pre-Production stages and sequences for Mustang and it wasn't until the launch of the 2012 Boss 302 back in February, 2011 after which time I determined that Ford had 4 Pre-Production stages and levels of vehicles for Mustang.

Between telephone conversations with various people at the FRAP such as Ralph Arning (Klaus Arning's son) and Robert Nagy from DST along with a meeting with FR at Dearborn many years ago I was able to determine that the following Pre-Production stages and levels were involved prior to regular production Mustangs. Along the way I also had numerous meetings with many other Ford personnel which helped me understand the entire pre-production build process.

VP - Variable Prototype (never comes with a VIN and typically there are just one or two produced prior to being destroyed until strict Ford supervision with many of them destroyed in Texas)

TT- Tooling Tryouts (Typically these vehicles are not given to the press and are driven internally by Ford execs and have only seen one of these cars being sold to the public namely "TT0001" which was a 2012 Boss 302 and now "TT005" which is a 2020 GT350R in Grabber Lime and presently for sale)

PP - Pilot Production (Most of these cars are static display vehicles and attend a lot of auto shows in North America)

MP - Mass Production (Many of these vehicles reach the press level and are also driven by numerous Ford employees for a good period of time)

Back in the Fall of 2010 when the early pre-production Boss 302's were launched such as "TT0001" in September and then in October of that same year the "PP" cars were launched and then in December the "MP" cars were launched.

In total for the first year launch of the 2012 Boss 302 the FRAP produced 12 TT's, 12 PP's and 44 MP's for a total of 68 Pre-Productions cars whereas with the launch of the 2016 GT350/R in May and June of 2015 the FRAP produced 95 Pre-Production units.

I was very fortunate to obtain Window Stickers for all TT, PP and MP 2012 Boss 302 cars and of course they tell a great deal about each Pre-Production vehicle.

Of the 95 Pre-Production 2016 GT350/R's I do not recall any of them having chassis numbers that started with TT or MP as was the case with the 2012 Boss 302 cars and suggest that Ford lumped all 95 cars under the "PP" chassis numbers.

Keep in mind that most but not all Pre-Production vehicles are destroyed but obviously some do make it out to the general public as in your case and the 3 cars that I previously owned.

During a discussion with the owner a local towing company from the Detroit area the owner explained to me that on some occasions he would pick up a TT or PP car and would take it to a remote location outside of Detroit after which time the local Fire Departments and/or Emergency Response Teams would be able to set one of these vehicles on fire or use the Jaws Of Life in order to practice emergency response tactics on one of these cool vehicles.

Obviously this was all done under strict supervision from Ford and once these exercises were complete these cars were then towed away and destroyed again under supervision from Ford.

Are some of the Pre-Production vehicles quite collectible, desirable and worth more than a regular model, I would say Yes in some cases but too many factors to list at this time.

Case in point when PP0001 (2012 Boss 302 LS) sold at auction in Texas in the Fall of 2017 it sold for $80,300 but have also seen the flip side where other PP cars were sold at less than a regular production model.

In the case of the early 2016 Pilot Production GT350/R's as in your case I suggest that time will tell how they hold up from a desirable and value standpoint but aside from all that they are just a tremendous car to have and drive therefore congratulations on owning "PP011".

I have attached 2 different Window Stickers for PP0001 one of which was originally issued for the car back in 2010 and then a subsequent WS for when the car was sold to me and as you can see there were a few significant differences with respect to these cars not to be sold to the public at least in the case of this vehicle.

Good luck with your cool vehicle and hope that you get to enjoy it on the road as I did with my 3 PP cars!

 

[meterman]

Very interesting read. I never heard of the TT designation until I attended the GT350 Track Attack on June 11th. Most of the instructors were driving TT cars. I asked them what it meant and they didn’t know. I took a picture of the dash chassis plate. There was at least 5 of them.

 

[Cobra Jet]

@PP0001

Can you elaborate more on:
MP - Mass Production (Many of these vehicles reach the press level and are also driven by numerous Ford employees for a good period of time)

How many “MP” variants were usually released to the public for resale?

Is there any way to track which Press Cor had access to the vehicle?

Where these included in the total build count for the year of the limited production run?

Are these on the “collectible” level and would they be of more value than say the same limited produced vehicle that comes with a regular numbered dash plate?

Thanks for any additional insight.

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