Day 2: Folkestone to the Nürburgring (Anderath)

The wide width and low ground clearance of each vehicle prompted both Ford and DaimlerChrysler to make special arrangements to ship the cars under the English Channel to France via the EuroTunnel. Our destination for the day would be Ford's Capricorn facility in Meuspath, close to the infamous Nürburgring. Here, all 101 Ford GTs destined for European customers were being converted to meet local regulations.

At Capricorn, we met Jost Capito, head of Ford's Team RS, who gave us the budget tour of the facility. He had one of his Fiesta STs available to drive and had also secured the services of driver Armin Hahne. With more than 10,000 laps under his belt at the 'Ring's Nordschleife--12.9 miles of challenging tarmac with 73 turns and almost 1,000 feet of elevation changes--Hahne had the experience to push the Ford GT close to its limits, according to Capito.

Capito first took two passengers and me out in the feisty 150-b.h.p. Fiesta ST and proceeded to illustrate that a front-wheel-drive hatchback in the hands of a pro can show its taillights to far more powerful machinery. Before that day, the closest I'd ever been to the Nordschleife and its famed twists and turns was Gran Tourismo 4 on my PlayStation. Nothing like the real thing!

Swapping seats with Capito, I attacked the track from behind the wheel of the Fiesta as best I could. Thanks to the car's exceptional balance, more than adequate power, and brakes to match, I never felt in over my head. I also quickly realized that Capito, who once managed the Sauber Formula One team, has a command of the course about which I could only dream.

Next, it was my turn to get in the GT's passenger seat with Hahne driving. I had no idea what I was in for as the gate was raised and we rocketed past the opening cones. After a couple of innocuous bends, our car approached the first serious turn. With just three laps on the Nordschleife in the Ford GT under his belt, Hahne found the perfect line to quickly traverse Hatzenbach and drive flat-out approaching the Flugplatz. I was watching a true master of car control at work, extracting every last ounce of speed while using every available inch of asphalt--even while sharing the track with suicidal bikers who seemed to serve as colorful rolling roadblocks.

Somewhere before the Bergwerk corner, with the Ford GT's air conditioning off, the cabin became unbearably hot. By the time we reached the famed Karussell, I thought I