Ford’s new GT Heritage Edition celebrates the 1966 Daytona-winning GT40

The latest Ford GT Heritage Edition has been revealed, following much the same ethos as the past GT and Mustang Heritage Editions Ford has created.

Inspired by the 1966 Ford GT40 which won the ’66 24 Hours of Daytona, this MY21 GT sports the same asymmetrical livery as the original.

Ford GT program manager Mike Severson says the choice to make the Daytona car the inspiration rather than the Ken Miles Le Mans car was not only because it was perhaps underappreciated in comparison compared to the widely celebrated latter, but also because Ford considers Daytona the first time anyone had a proper go at Ferrari.

For reference, Ford has already built a Heritage Edition GT for the car that 'won' in Le Mans in 1966, but not one for Miles' car, which many consider the 'true' victor.

Ford built GT Heritage cars for its three-year Le Mans streak

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“Miles and Ruby led nearly every lap of the 24-hour race and outpaced the competition by 30 miles,” said Severson.

“The win was the first time anyone had threatened Ferrari’s dominance in sports car racing and represented a turning point in the Ford GT race program.”

Rather than the ‘98’ roundels on the sides of the car being decals, they’re actually sections exposing the lightweight carbon underneath.

The story behind Ford's 1966 Le Mans win

The car can be had with standard gold wheels or with a set of carbon fibre wheels from Aussie company Carbon Revolution.

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Inside, black Alcantara suede is found on the instrument panel, headliner and steering wheel rim, while red Alcantara seats and red paddle shifters create some visual contrast.

Only 40 will be available and, given Ford doesn’t sell the GT in Australia… well, you can’t buy one here.

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