In 2004, exactly 40 years after the legendary GT40 went into production, Ford rolled out the first-generation GT, a modern tribute to the Le Mans-winning race car. Of the 4,038 supercars built, 346 were Heritage Edition models dressed in the iconic Gulf Oil livery. One just popped-up for auction with just 162 miles on the odometer.
As puzzling as it may sound, some owners opted not to drive their limited-edition GT supercars. It doesn't make much sense to keep a road-legal race car like the Ford GT in a garage for so many years, but only as long as you don't take the financial aspect into consideration. These cars were bound to become collectibles, so it's not shocking that some of them have spent their lives as garage queens.
You're looking at the second barely driven, Gulf-liveried GT that goes under the hammer in 2021. First, we saw a 2.7-mile example surface via RM Sotheby's, now there's this 162-mile (260-km) unit waiting to find a new home via Bring a Trailer. It's obviously of the mint-condition variety, and it begs to be driven under full throttle.
Designed as a tribute to the Gulf-liveried GT40s that won two of Ford's four consecutive successes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the GT Heritage Edition is finished in Heritage Blue and Epic Orange. The colors are a perfect match to Gulf Oil's light blue and bright orange. Each of the 343 cars was fitted with white roundels, some equipped with racing numbers.
But unlike their spartan, race-spec predecessor, the GT Heritage Edition boasts modern comfort features, including air conditioning and a McIntosh sound system. The package also included black leather upholstery, BBS alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, and a McIntosh sound system.
Power comes from the legendary Ford Modular V8, here in the form of a supercharged, 5.4-liter unit. Rated at 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque, the 2006 GT hits 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.8 seconds, toward a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph). The quarter-mile run takes only 11.8 seconds.
This clean example is offered in California with factory books, a car cover, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Arizona title. The bidding is now at $275,000 with 11 days to go. For reference, the GT Heritage Edition retailed from around $200,000 back in 2006.
Low-mileage examples are known to change owners for more than $300,000, so expect the bidding to get hotter toward the end of the auction.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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