Mat Armstrong traveled more than 4,000 miles to Dubai in search of a wrecked Ford GT, hoping to turn one of America’s rarest supercars into his next rebuild. Instead, he found damage that could make the entire project impossible.
The British YouTuber had already run into trouble with a damaged Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport. According to Armstrong, Bugatti would not supply the parts he needed to repair it himself. Now, he hoped Ford might be more willing to help.
In a video published October 19, 2025, Armstrong visited a Copart auction yard in Dubai to inspect a crashed Ford GT. With only 1,350 examples planned for production, finding one at a salvage auction was a rare opportunity.
At first, the car looked like an expensive but manageable repair. A closer inspection revealed something far worse, leaving Armstrong to wonder whether he would need an entirely new carbon-fiber chassis.
More Than a Fender
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Walking around the damaged GT, Armstrong quickly found a missing headlight, broken front framework, suspension damage, and deployed airbags. The carbon-fiber door also appeared to need repairs.
Those problems were costly enough, but the biggest surprise came when the crew examined the front suspension mounts.
One upper control arm had been pushed into the car’s structure. Comparing the damaged side with the other side showed just how far the metal had moved.
“That could be a big game changer,” Armstrong said.
The problem was where the damaged aluminum section joined the carbon-fiber tub. If that section could not be replaced separately, the team might have to strip the car down and install an entirely new tub.
According to Ford’s official owner’s manual, the GT uses a carbon-fiber tub with aluminum structures at the front and rear. Its advanced suspension is mounted to this structure, making damage in that area especially serious.
One Good Surprise
Despite the damage, Armstrong managed to get the GT running after the crew connected a jump starter.
Its twin-turbocharged V6 fired up, giving the team at least one encouraging sign. The dashboard, however, displayed several warnings, including low brake fluid and a transmission malfunction.
Ford’s official GT information describes the car’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and its lightweight carbon-fiber construction. Both help explain why such a specialized car can be difficult to repair.
Back at home, Armstrong reviewed the costs. At the time of filming, bidding on the Ford GT had reached roughly £122,000, while he estimated an undamaged example could be worth £600,000 to £700,000.
The savings looked enormous until replacement parts entered the discussion.
A Second Option
While Armstrong inspected the GT, two members of his team traveled to Italy to examine a damaged Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.
That car was offered privately for £108,000, but it had serious front-end damage, missing bodywork, and bent suspension parts.
A parts supplier later told Armstrong that replacement components for the Mercedes were available, although the prices were steep. A carbon-fiber hood alone was quoted at roughly £26,000.
The Ford presented a different challenge. A replacement mirror was reportedly around £15,000, while the damaged chassis tub was not listed with a price in the parts catalog.
There was one encouraging development: the supplier had located a possible replacement tub owned by Ford.
Unlike Bugatti, Ford appeared willing to sell Armstrong available replacement parts. Whether it would release that particular tub, and what it would cost, remained undecided.
By the end of the October 2025 video, Armstrong had not committed to either car. He said he had eight days left to make his decision before the Ford GT auction.