When Ford released its brief teaser video of the 2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition, we knew that we were going to be in for a treat. The Heritage series have always served as a compelling window into the iconic history that has always followed the GT supercar. This time, Ford designers wanted to take the public back to 1966, when Ford put the lessons learned in its failures in 1965 and 1966, and created a GT40 that was primed and ready to make a splash in the racing circuit. The end result would see a car that would be a trailblazer for Ford.
While the GT40’s wins at the 24 hrs of Le Mans and the 12 hrs of Sebring events, the legacy all started at the 1966 Daytona 24-hr Continental race where drivers Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby would help Ford gain its first 24 hr racing victory. The 2021 model pays tribute to that racer, and it helps bring alot of that car’s retro swagger to the modern age. The exterior of this special model is adorned in white paint, and features a black hood and black stripes on the rocker panels. Other goodies include splashes of orange accents, white roof panel, and the No. 98 Gumball boldly displayed on the doors, hood, and rear spoiler.
Apart from its obvious attempts at paying tribute to Miles, the car also comes with several pieces of carbon fiber trim to help slash weight, while a set of one piece forged aluminum Heritage Gold wheels housing red lacquered Brembo brake calipers. Buyers looking for a more slightly more subdued wheel choice can opt for exposed carbon fiber hoops which are part of the optional Heritage Upgrade package. Meanwhile, the race ready cabin features several strategically placed splashes of Alcantara trim, with the material finding its way onto the steering wheel, seat inserts, and the dashboard itself.
In addition to the newest iteration of its Heritage lineup, Ford also introduced an all new Studio Collection Graphics package (pictured above) which was teased once before by the company late last month. The all new graphics suite comes with a number of custom colors, and was created as the result of a design collaboration between Ford and Ford GT manufacturer Multimatic. There is also a high degree of rarity that will be a part of the Studio Collection package, with Ford revealing that only 40 cars will be equipped with the package between 2021 and 2022. That latter year is when GT production will wrap up, and the company has so far not revealed how many GT Heritage models will be built during that time. We suspect that it will largely follow the same script as past examples, with production be limited to a select handful of examples.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.