ALL-AMERICAN POWER: Two Heritage Edition Ford GTs heading to the Palm Beach auction block

March 21, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

This 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot #401) with less than 5 miles on the odometer is one of two Heritage Editions heading to Palm Beach.

Ford brought an all-new GT to display in the Sponsor Hall at the 45th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. The Barrett-Jackson executive team and VIPs from Ford Motor Company celebrated its arrival with this group photo.

Not surprisingly, the brand-new Ford GT was a huge attention-grabber at the 45th Anniversary Barrett-Jackson Auction in January. Made of lightweight materials, including carbon fiber and aluminum, the supercar is propelled by the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever – a next-generation twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 producing more than 600hp. The new GT hits the road this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans – but there won’t be many 2016 models, as output will be limited to only 200 units, each with a cool $400,000 price tag.

What began as a concept car to celebrate Ford’s Centennial in 2003 became a stark, gorgeous reality in 2004. By the time the last of those Ford GTs rolled off the end of the Wixom, Michigan, assembly line in 2006, a total of 4,038 roamed the planet.

Not all of those GTs were created equal, however. Cars with rare options, special stripe packages, super-low mileage and less common colors can often fuel bidding wars at auction – so watching two of these all-American supercars with those lofty characteristics cross the block at the 14th Annual Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction could get interesting.

This GT (Lot #401) is literally still in the wrapper.

For 2006, Ford added a special color to the already special supercar: a “Heritage Edition” in the blue and orange livery of the Gulf Oil-sponsored GT40 that won the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1968 and ’69. Only 343 of these Heritage Editions were produced, and two of these are ready for auction.

One, Lot #401, has less than 5 actual miles on the odometer and remains in its factory original delivery state. Factory transport stickers are still intact; shrink wrap, steering wheel wrap and seat plastic are all still in place. Original documentation from Ford Motor Company, Window Sticker, and all books and manuals included, along with the original sticker kit still in its original box. It has a supercharged 5.4-liter aluminum DOHC V8 with 550hp mated to a Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission. It features power windows, air conditioning, HID headlights, gray painted brake calipers, and BBS forged aluminum 19″ rear wheels and 18″ front wheels with factory Goodyear Eagle F1 tires (315 rear and 235 front).

Also crossing the block at the Palm Beach Auction will be this 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition (Lot #426), with only 3,000 miles on the clock.

The second, Lot #426, is also a low-mileage car, with only 3,000 miles on the clock. Of the 4,038 GTs built, approximately 100 were exported to Europe, starting in late 2005. An additional 200 were sold in Canada, with less than 50 offered in the Heritage finish, and this is one of those vehicles, making it extremely rare. Sold with all of the original books, manuals, keys, car cover, production information and original Monroney labels. This GT includes both Window Stickers (English and French). This GT is car number 1,852 of the 2,011 built in this model year, and number 335 of 343 total Heritage Editions.

Although built 10 years before their modern-day counterpart, these two supercars are sure to draw as much attention in Palm Beach as that brand-new 2016 Ford GT did earlier this year in Scottsdale.