Ford’s Newest GT Is a Modern Supercar That Reimagines the 1964 Original

Ford makes supercars? Considering how much attention the truck and SUV end of the company’s lineup gets, you’d be forgiven for not knowing the Detroit automaker’s storied racing history. It all began in 1964 when Ford created the GT, a sleek and powerful race car designed to take on the European titans at Le Mans. The car won the famed race four times in a row, from 1966 to ’69, then an updated GT won the race again in 2016. Ford has produced two road-legal versions of the GT since 2005, but now your chance to own a piece of that racing heritage is coming to an end: Ford will stop manufacturing the GT after 2022. Even so, the car is going out with a bang, as Ford just announced the upcoming 2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition. It’s an homage to the original ’64 GT that started it all.

The Heritage Edition is catnip for car collectors. Although it has a modern drivetrain and plenty of carbon fiber cladding, it takes styling cues from the first-ever GT, which debuted at the New York International Auto Show in 1964.

“This one goes deep, and honors the earliest Ford supercar heritage,” Mike Severson, Ford GT program manager, said in a press release. “The Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition is a modern interpretation of the original, with no mistaking what this car is paying tribute to.”

The paint scheme borrows heavily from the ’64 prototype. It features cream-colored Wimbledon White paint with contrasting Antimatter Blue graphics, and they’re paired with a racing stripe that stretches over the roof toward the rear of the car, just like the prototype. While the original wore polished wire wheels, the Heritage Edition gets upgraded with 20-inch carbon fiber wheels; they’re painted in Antimatter Blue to match the rest of the color scheme. The Brembo brake calipers are finished in silver, which helps them pop out from behind the wheels without looking too flashy.

There’s also lots of carbon fiber on this car, something you definitely wouldn’t see on a vehicle from the 1960s. The front splitter, side sills, mirror stalks, engine louvers, and rear diffuser are all made of the material.

The interior follows a more muted blue and black color scheme, and there’s plenty of carbon fiber on display as well. It shows up on the door sills, A-pillar, the partition between the driver’s and passenger seats, dashboard, and steering wheel—which is studded with an intimidating array of buttons and knobs, just like a modern race car. Unlike a modern race car, however, there’s also lots of leather and blue suede-like alcantara fabric to coddle you as you drive.

Looks aside, there’s plenty of muscle under the hood to back up the fancy bodywork. Like the rest of the GT lineup, the Heritage Edition is powered by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that cranks out 647 horsepower. It’s backed by a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with shifter paddles mounted behind the steering wheel, and it also includes high-performance extras like a deployable rear wing to keep the car firmly planted on the ground. It doesn’t just look like a race car, it drives like one, too.

Ford hasn’t released details on pricing, but considering the normal GT retails for $500,000, you can expect it’ll be steep. For more info, head to the Ford website.

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