Ford racing driver Ken Miles didn’t officially win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but he did notch Ford’s first 24-hour win in the legendary GT40.
2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition inspired by the GT40 MK II’s 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental race victory
Miles, whose role in the development of the race car and heartbreaking second-place Le Mans finish was chronicled in the film “Ford v Ferrari,” took the checkered flag at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona in a car co-driven by Lloyd Ruby to lead a 1-2-3 Ford sweep, setting the stage for the car’s repeat performance at Le Mans later in the year.
Ford is now offering a version of its $450,000 GT supercar — which was inspired by the GT40 and lost on its own debut Daytona outing in 2016 before scoring a class win at that year’s Le Mans race — with a graphics package that celebrates Miles’ achievement.
The white car features a black exposed carbon fiber hood, red striping and the number 98 of Miles and Ruby’s winning car on the hood and both the outside and inside of the doors. Its black interior is contrasted with red seats and red paddles on the steering wheel that can be used to manually change gears with the GT’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission as its 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 sends 660 hp to the rear wheels.
Ford has previously released heritage editions based on the 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 Le Mans winners, but this is the first Daytona-inspired version. Ford will offer it on a maximum of 50 cars for the 2021 and 2022 model years.
When the GT was first launched in 2017, the plan was to build 1,000 through 2020, but Ford extended the run to approximately 1,350 cars due to popular demand, with production currently set to end in 2022.
Miles didn’t get the chance to defend his Daytona title, as he was killed in a testing accident in August 1966.
