TMSBrad

• 2006 Ford GT ‘Heritage’ livery commemorates Le Mans victories in 1968 and 1969.
• Heritage Blue and Epic Orange paint scheme recalling the JW Automotive/American Gulf Oil-sponsored Ford GT racers.
• 2006 marks the 40 th anniversary of the beginning of Fords’ four-year domination at Le Mans.

MONTEREY BAY , Calif. , Aug. 19 – On display at Concorso Italiano, amidst a sea of red-painted competitors, a blue and orange-striped Ford GT rises above the rest, just as it did in 1968 and 1969 capturing victory at Le Mans . New for 2006, the limited-edition Ford GT ‘Heritage’ paint livery harkens back to the JW Automotive/American Gulf Oil-sponsored Le Mans-winning Ford GT racer. This unique paint scheme, one of the most memorable looks in Ford racing history, features a Heritage Blue with Epic Orange-striped exterior and four white ‘roundels’ allowing customers to apply the number of their choice.

“We’re very proud to offer the 2006 Ford GT in these timeless colors to celebrate our historic racing achievements and the high-performance and innovative technology behind our supercar,” said Carter Balkcom, Ford GT marketing manager. “The blue and orange livery is one of the most memorable paint schemes to ever be displayed on a race car. The JW Automotive American Gulf Oil Ford GT P/1075 is an iconic race car being one of only a few cars to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice.”

2006 also marks the 40 th anniversary of Ford’s remarkable four-year winning streak of the 24 Hours of Le Mans . Earlier this year, Ford announced another special exterior color, Tungsten Grey available with Quick Silver stripes, would be available on the 2006 Ford GT to commemorate that first sterling victory.

But Ford isn’t just celebrating its past. The company is building on its heritage with its Special Vehicle Team (SVT) enhancing the performance of Ford products now and into the future.

“Sweeping Le Mans proved to the world that Ford Motor Company could beat the most prestigious manufacturers in the world,” says Phil Martens, group vice president, Product Creation. “Those two events helped establish a culture of performance at Ford that to this day benefits our products, engineering expertise, and brand loyalty. Today, that culture is embodied in the Ford GT, aptly titled the pace car for the entire company.”

The Ford GT delivers 550 horsepower and a certified 205-mph top track speed rating, with styling inspired by the historic racecars and a comfortable and contemporary interior, all for a base price (MSRP) of under $150,000.

An ultra high-performance two-seat sports car, the Ford GT is built on an aluminum spaceframe chassis with super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels and an aluminum-over-carbon engine cover.

A mid-mounted supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 delivers 500 pound-feet of torque. Power flows to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transaxle. Independent suspension, large Brembo brakes and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires on 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels all are standard equipment.

Ford GT victories at Le Mans

• 1966; Ford Mk II; Ford Motor Company/Shelby American; Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon; Second-place car driven by Ken Miles and Denis Hulme and third-place car driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson finished in close formation behind their winning teammates.
• 1967; Ford Mk IV; Ford Motor Coompany/Shelby American; Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt Jr. (Ford Mk IV driven by Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue finished fourth behind its teammate.)
• 1968; Ford GT40; John Wyer Automotive Engineering; Pedro Rodriguez, Lucien Bianchi
• 1969; Ford GT40; John Wyer Automotive Engineering; Jacky Ickx, Jackie Oliver (Ford GT40 driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood was third behind its teammate.)

Lalo

That is so awesome... I couldn't wait for Ford to do this with the new GT.
It's beautiful

freebass55

I agree, that thing is stunning.

future9er24

thats soooooo awesome!!!!

cntchds

ive seen something like that done by "Gulpin", wasnt listed on their site though...

Fordracing200

Thats absoloutly gorgeous, same car that i have on GT4

Evil_Capri

from Autoextremist.com . .

Ford. The Ford Motor Company unveiled a new, limited-edition 2006 Ford GT in California last weekend, and Ford purists and historical racing enthusiasts should be pleased. The special Ford GT will boast a "Heritage" paint livery, which harkens back to the glory days of the JW Automotive/American Gulf Oil-sponsored Le Mans-winning Ford GT racers from the 1968 and 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans races. This unique paint scheme features a "Heritage Blue" (otherwise known as "Gulf" Blue to the rest of us) with "Epic Orange"-striped exterior and four white ‘roundels’ allowing customers to apply the number of their choice. "We’re very proud to offer the 2006 Ford GT in these timeless colors to celebrate our historic racing achievements and the high-performance and innovative technology behind our supercar," said Carter Balkcom, Ford GT marketing manager. "The blue and orange livery is one of the most memorable paint schemes to ever be displayed on a race car. The JW Automotive American Gulf Oil Ford GT P/1075 is an iconic race car being one of only a few cars to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice." "Sweeping Le Mans proved to the world that Ford Motor Company could beat the most prestigious manufacturers in the world," says Phil Martens, group vice president, Product Creation. "Those two events helped establish a culture of performance at Ford that to this day benefits our products, engineering expertise, and brand loyalty. Today, that culture is embodied in the Ford GT, aptly titled the pace car for the entire company." And that's great, Phil, but we'd also like to point out that Ford has been living on its past laurels long enough. Just how many more times will Ford return to the well and drink from its historical past? It's time for Ford to write new chapters in its glorious racing history - and go back to Le Mans and Indianapolis - to win.



As a reminder of what Ford once achieved in international endurance road racing, they provided details of their four overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

1966 - Ford Mk II; Ford Motor Company/Shelby American; Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon; Second-place car driven by Ken Miles and Denis Hulme and third-place car driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson finished in close formation behind their winning teammates. This was the famed (and botched) orchestrated finish that had the McLaren/Amon car pass the real winners (Miles/Hulme) within sight of the start/finish line. A bitter end to a magnificent achievement.

1967 - Ford Mk IV; Ford Motor Company/Shelby American; Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt Jr. (Ford Mk IV driven by Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue finished fourth behind its teammate.) This was one fantastic summer, with Foyt coming off of his win at the Indianapolis 500 just weeks before and Gurney going on to achieve his spectacular victory in the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa in a car of his own design just weeks after the French endurance classic.

1968 - Ford GT40; John Wyer Automotive Engineering; Pedro Rodriguez, Lucien Bianchi.

1969 - Ford GT40; John Wyer Automotive Engineering; Jacky Ickx, Jackie Oliver (Ford GT40 driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood was third behind its teammate.) After 1969, the famed Gulf Blue and Orange livery ended up on the factory Porsche 917s and other racing Porsches in the 70s.

Evil_Capri

I think they need some orange rims, a la the original 1968 Gulf GT40.

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And how many Limited Editions of this car is Ford going to produce? Race the darn car already!!

1999 Black 35th GT

Absolutely fantastic vehicle!!! Makes the Mark IV red one we have look like a Focus.... well not really

GT40 2

I wanted to go to monterey last weekend.

bob

man I luv the GTs in the gulf livery, street corner pharmucetical and wealth redistribution here I come!