Ford has announced the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition, which will pay homage to the legendary 1964 Ford GT prototypes and the great Le Mans victories that defined a whole era of motorsport.
The new 2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition recently debuted at Monterey Car Week, alongside the sole surviving 1964 Ford GT prototype, chassis GT/105. Still wearing its original livery, the groundbreaking GT prototype was displayed over the weekend at The Quail and on the concept lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The Prototype Heritage Edition is a limited-edition supercar that is inspired by the original 1964 Ford GT prototype that debuted at the New York International Auto Show on April 3 1964. It would later go down in history as America’s only Le Mans-winning supercar.
The Ford GT program is the stuff of legends and lead to one of the biggest showdowns in motorsport history. In an effort to beat Ferrari, Ford began development of its own race car in 1963, and less than a year later, the Ford GT prototype (chassis GT/101) was revealed at the 1964 New York International Auto Show.
Five GT prototypes were built and were the first Ford models to use deep aerodynamic analysis to optimize high-speed performance. These are some of the most significant cars produced by Ford, marking the foundation for the GT program that culminated in the company’s 1-2-3 sweep at Le Mans in 1966.
Of the five Ford GT prototypes built, chassis GT/105 is the only one to survive and wear the period-correct livery. The prototypes symbolize the groundbreaking engineering that continues at Ford with the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition.
“This is the first Ford GT Heritage Edition that goes beyond celebrating race wins – this one goes deep, and honors the earliest of Ford supercar heritage,” stated Mike Severson, Ford GT program manager. “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 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition supercar wears Wimbledon White paint with Antimatter Blue graphics, including an over-the-roof triple racing stripe. Exposed carbon fiber components are prominent, including 20-inch Antimatter Blue-painted carbon fiber wheels, a touch unique to Ford GT, as well as an exposed carbon fiber front splitter, side sills, mirror stalks, engine louvers and rear diffuser finished in gloss. Brembo brake calipers lacquered in silver with black graphics, plus black lug nuts further modernize the aesthetic.
Carbon fiber carries into the cabin as well, with carbon fiber door sills, lower A-pillars and console, along with matte carbon fiber registers. Lightspeed Blue Alcantara-wrapped carbon fiber seats feature silver stitching, while seating surfaces and head restraints are embossed with the GT logo. The instrument panel is wrapped in Ebony leather and Lightspeed Blue Alcantara, while pillars and headliner are wrapped in Ebony Alcantara.
Antimatter Blue appliqués on the instrument panel, door register bezels and seat X-brace are coordinated with the unique wheels. The steering wheel is finished in Ebony Alcantara with black stitching, while dual-clutch paddle shifters are clear and polished.
“There are a lot of milestone moments in the history of Ford GT that we’ve celebrated, but the team was unanimous in believing the original prototype was the right vehicle this time around,” Severson said. “That 1964 prototype unleashed the creative genius of the Ford Advanced Vehicles team and paved the way for the Ford GT program. It put all of this in motion.”
Now entering it’s final year of production, the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition supercar is available to order for approved Ford GT customers, with production scheduled to begin in January 2022.
