2006 Ford GT

2006 Ford GT
Sold for $407,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014
Chassis no. 1FAFP90S36Y400663
550 bhp, 5.4-liter, 32-valve DOHC V-8 engine with a supercharger, six-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.
Wheelbase: 106.7 in.
•One of just two Ford GTs produced in Speed Yellow with a “stripe delete”
•Factory fresh, with 13 miles since new
•Seats still in their factory plastic covering
•Among the finest, rarest, and lowest-mileage Ford GTs
The 24 Hours of Le Mans in the mid-1960s was a period of time in racing that was defined by the battle between Ford and Ferrari, a battle which had begun with a torn-up contract. Enzo Ferrari was looking to sell the road car division of his company in 1963 and courted Ford as a possible buyer. Ford executives believed that this would be a fantastic acquisition for their company and that associating Ferrari’s fabled name and racing record with their cars would only lead to further profits and popularity for the company. From a racing perspective, Ford’s money combined with Ferrari’s intimate knowledge of motorsport would create a truly unstoppable force on the race track. Lawyers in Italy and the United States worked diligently to draft a contract, but Enzo refused to sign, believing that he was not given enough freedom or control over the racing section of the company.
Henry Ford II was livid when he heard that these plans would not come to fruition, and he decided that he would just have to show Ferrari that he could create the world’s best racing car without him. Cost was irrelevant, as this was personal. Soon enough, Enzo Ferrari would learn that Henry Ford II was not a man to be trifled with, and the car that resulted, the Ford GT40, would effectively halt Ferrari’s success at the famed 24-hour race. The last Ferrari to place 1st overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans would be in 1965. A trio of Ford GT40s would sweep the podium in 1966, and GT40s would continue to claim the top spot on the podium for the next three years running.
In 2002, Ford created a GT40 concept car that attracted lots of attention from both the general public and the press, so much so that Ford decided to develop and produce the car for regular production, keeping Ferrari’s 360 Modena squarely in its sights. Over the next two years, a small team went to fanatical lengths to ensure that the car would live up to its fabled name. On the occasion of Ford Motor Company’s 100th anniversary, Ford officially introduced the production-ready Ford GT. The resemblance was simply uncanny, with the new GT retaining a nearly identical silhouette to the original GT40. As the Ford GT was powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8, its performance was world-class, with the car reaching 0–60 in 3.7 seconds and achieving a top speed of nearly 200 mph.
The very first examples reached their owners in late 2004, and it was clear that the GT was indeed worthy of its name. Not only would it outrun the 360 Modena, the Ford GT was quite capable of dicing with Porsche’s Carrera GT and the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR, and it would even hold its own against the Ferrari Enzo, all for a fraction of the cost. During the three years of production, 4,038 GTs were built, but customer demand far outstripped supply, resulting in many examples being sold for substantial premiums over the original MSRP.
While the most commonly seen Ford GTs are those festooned with dual racing stripes, Ford also offered a “stripe-delete” option at no cost, allowing owners to remove the Ford GT tape striping on the side of the car. While many owners jumped to have both the side tape stripes and the dual racing stripes, only a handful were selected to have neither, making those cars far more desirable and rare. This Ford GT is a very rare vehicle indeed, as it is finished in Speed Yellow with the tape stripe delete option, and it is also optioned with the McIntosh stereo, lightweight BBS wheels, and red-painted brake calipers. Only 75 were finished in Speed Yellow, and this specific GT is just one of two that were finished in that color and also feature the side tape stripe delete option and no hood stripes, as verified by the SAAC World Registry and the Ford Motor Company. This Ford GT was delivered new to Mathews Ford, of Oregon, Ohio, and it has seen careful preservation in factory-fresh condition during its entire life. Its original window sticker is still affixed to its windshield, the plastic covering still protects the seats and interior trim, and all its original shipping documentation remains with the car. It has only accumulated delivery mileage, and it is simply in perfect condition.
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Robert Myrick Photography