Car companies, you might have heard, are pretty good at giving themselves birthday presents.
So you can probably guess how Ford plans to celebrate 50 years of racing excellence.
Just unveiled to the viewing public, the silver-and-black-striped 2017 Ford GT ‘66 Heritage Edition pays tire-squealing, asphalt-kicking homage to the 1966 Le Mans champion GT40 Mark II racer helmed by drivers Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
“Celebrating the anniversary of Ford’s historic victories at Le Mans has always been a part of the return of the Ford GT,” Raj Nair, Ford executive vice president and chief technical officer, said in a statement. And the newest tribute — which will honor the car that jumpstarted a string of Le Mans victories for the American marque — does not disappoint in the slightest.
Limited to a one-year production run, the newbie will feature Frozen White #2 race graphics with a Shadow Black exterior in either gloss or matte finish and exposed carbon fiber detailing. Open the door and she just gets more beautiful, with carbon-fiber seats bonded in Ebony leather, gold appliqués on the instrument panel and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and seat belts webbed in blue, just like the ‘66 original.
Garen Nicoghosian, exterior design manager for the car, said via press release that the team set out to highlight the features that started it all for the Ford GT while updating the final product with some subtle flourishes. “While the looks are distinctly based on the GT40 Mark II race car, we’ve accentuated new styling cues to provide a modern interpretation.”
We say if looks could kill, this one would be headed straight for the slammer.
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