Friday, June 21, 2019

HOLLYWOOD ENDING: The 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition commemorates one of the greatest stories in racing, and soon the whole world will hear the tale


HOLLYWOOD ENDING: The 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition commemorates one of the greatest stories in racing, and soon the whole world will hear the tale

Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham


 


This 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition, with less than 15 miles on the odometer, will be the first announced non-charity 2017 Ford GT to cross an auction block with No Reserve. It will happen at Barrett-Jackson’s Oct. 3-5, 2019, Las Vegas Auction.


 


You may not have noticed, but the Ford GT supercar and its famous predecessor, the GT40, are having a bit of a moment. An extended moment, even, featuring checkered flags, controversy and red carpets.


The most recent headline for the Ford GT included what looked like a win at this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To recap, after a lengthy absence, Ford Motor Company returned to the famed ’round-the-clock French endurance race in 2016 with the new-generation GT, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Ford’s first win at Le Mans in 1966. The new GT won its class in ’16, putting a perfect exclamation point to Ford’s return.


After four years, however, the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans this year marked the end of Ford’s factory GT racing program in the World Endurance Championship. But just as Chip Ganassi’s factory stable of GTE-Pro GTs was driving off into the sunset without a going-away victory, a privateer entry by Keating Motorsports took the checkered flags in the GTE-Am class with what Ford hopes will be the first of many customer racing GTs. The Keating team enjoyed its celebration atop the podium, but the next day was disqualified over a fuel tank violation.


Oh well ‒ it wouldn’t be big-time racing without controversy. Despite the recent setbacks, both the GT and GT40 have carved out a rich racing heritage worth celebrating. Ford certainly recognizes this, as the Ganassi GTs at Le Mans this year were painted in “Celebration Liveries,” retro paint schemes mimicking successful GT40s and GTs from years past.


Celebrating those worthy race cars was also the idea behind this 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition, an extraordinarily low-mileage example — with less than 20 miles on the odometer, to be precise — that will be the first announced non-charity 2017 Ford GT to cross an auction block with No Reserve. And it will happen at Barrett-Jackson’s Oct. 3-5 auction in Las Vegas.


 



 


“Celebrating the anniversary of Ford’s historic victories at Le Mans has always been a part of the return of the Ford GT,” said Raj Nair upon the car’s introduction. Nair was Ford’s executive vice president, product development, and chief technical officer at the time. “The 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition is a stunning tribute to the car that kicked off Ford’s string of Le Mans victories in 1966.”


In the case of the ’17 Heritage Edition, that means Shadow Black paint with silver stripes and an exposed carbon-fiber package. It also carries the Frozen White number 2 graphics on hood and doors, like the Le Mans-winning GT40 Mark II piloted by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon in 1966. Other touches reminiscent of the 1966 GT40 include seat belts with unique blue webbing, 20-inch one-piece forged aluminum wheels finished in gold satin clearcoat, and the leather-wrapped steering wheel. A number 2 graphic is also applied to the interior door panel. The carbon-fiber seats are wrapped in Ebony leather. A serialized identification plate establishes the limited nature of this Heritage Edition.


The days of big-block 427ci V8s may be long behind us, but this mid-engine Ford GT lacks nothing in the power department. The 647-horsepower twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is teamed with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle with paddle shifters. At the time of the 2017 car’s launch, Ford boasted that the GT achieved the highest top speed of any Ford production vehicle ever built.


The car’s performance isn’t just a matter of horsepower. The aggressive, cutting-edge aerodynamics produce positive downforce, helping the GT hug the road under all conditions. The EcoBoost V6’s compact dimensions helped as well, allowing the fuselage to be tapered in a more efficient shape than could be achieved with a bulkier V8. The extensive use of carbon fiber shaved weight and allowed for the shaping of the flying buttresses joining the roof and rear fenders, shapes that could not have been manufactured in steel or aluminum. The hydraulic suspension allows a nearly two-inch change in ride height from normal to track mode, and front-lift mode helps the car clear driveways and speedbumps. A car with that kind of performance requires serious stopping power, which the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes deliver.


As for that red-carpet acclaim we mentioned earlier, that would be for the big-budget movie “Ford v Ferrari,” due in theaters this November. In it, the GT40 co-stars with Matt Damon (Carroll Shelby) and Christian Bale (Ken Miles) in a dramatization of the true story of how Ford Motor Company employed Shelby to develop the car that would defeat Ferrari in international sports car racing. The Ford GT40 won Le Mans four straight years from 1966-69, and the first of those is the car the 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition celebrates. With this potential blockbuster film coming in the fall, the GT40, and the later heritage-themed GT supercars, are due for a new round of fame. A story once only known by hard-core racing fans is about to go mainstream.


The 2017-and-up Ford GT was an extraordinarily difficult car to purchase when new due to Ford’s onerous application process. This very low-mileage 2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition represents a rare second chance to come home from Las Vegas with what is essentially a new 2017 GT. And the buyer can rest assured that, by year’s end, everyone will know exactly what that paint scheme represents.


 


For information on becoming a bidder at the 2019 Las Vegas Auction, click HERE. To purchase tickets, click HERE.

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