Page 23 - Experience Magazine Spring 2023

Considering the greatest performance cars ever conceived, Production was low and, while a Mk III street variant
built and raced on either side of the Atlantic, a multitude was indeed offered, few buyers could reconcile the
of worthy candidates immediately springs to mind. car’s performance and image with cramped passenger
However, the “Ford GT” nameplate is one of precious few accommodations and limited cargo capacity, not to
with a heritage that includes not just one, but four overall mention the six-figure purchase price.
victories scored at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966 Fast-forward some 30 years after FIA rule changes forced
through 1969 by the original Ford GT40.
the retirement of the original GT40s after the 1969
Representing the ultimate expression of Ford Motor racing season. While those venerable warriors had been
Company’s legendary “Total Performance” factory racing consigned to museums, Ford Motor Company’s 2003
program of the 1960s, the GT40 remains most famous centennial festivities provided an ideal opportunity for
as the car that unseated Ferrari’s long dominance of the GT40 concept to return as a modern, reimagined
international racing. Intensive development performed homage to Ford’s glorious international racing
by Shelby American at the behest of none other than dominance of the 1960s.
Henry Ford II, led by Ken Miles and Phil Remington, Development of the new Ford GT was rooted in its
turned the unreliable early Ford GT40 into a dead- legendary progenitor and several high-tech Ford concept
reliable, long-distance juggernaut. Equally important, cars of the latter 1990s; however, the all-new GT debuted
the GT40 and its uncanny reliability after intense in 2002 and produced for 2005-06 was far more than
development solidified the brilliant driving careers a design throwback. In fact, it stands as a true modern
of some of the era’s greatest drivers and rising stars. supercar, based on cutting-edge technologies and capable

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