Over the past weekend, Ford introduced the new 2021 Heritage Edition for its classic racing car Ford GT. Those who have seen the official video probably already know that the 2021 Heritage Edition is inspired by the championship car GT40 Mk II from the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Endurance Race, paying the highest tribute to this victorious symbol of a car.
Readers may ask, wouldn’t it be more topical to pay tribute to the Ford GT40, bearing the flag of the same year’s Le Mans 24-hour race? Although not mentioned much in the video, this 2021 Heritage Edition also pays tribute to the legendary Ford driver Ken Miles – perhaps a simple explanation can be drawn from “Ford vs Ferrari”.
When Henry Ford II was played by Enzo Ferrari, he decided to defeat Ferrari in the Le Mans race, and then brought in Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon) to design a new race car for the factory. Later, Shelby brought in British racing genius and engineer Ken Miles (played by Christian Bale) to join in building the future Ford GT40. The Ford GT40 MK I was born, but the factory did not see Ken Miles as the ideal racer. In the end, the team lost to Ferrari in the 1965 Le Mans due to mechanical failure as predicted by Ken Miles, but the appearance of the MK I shocked the opponent and even the racing world.
After another defeat, of course, Henry Ford II was angry, but Shelby and even Henry Ford II himself were well aware that the Ford GT40 could definitely compete with Ferrari’s 330 P3. The engineering continued, and Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles developed the MK II, which was almost perfect except for unresolved braking system issues. However, just as the factory approved the car for racing, the then Vice President of the company, Leo Beebe, informed Shelby that Ken Miles would not be sent as a driver. So, during a test, Shelby had Henry Ford II sit in the MK II and convinced him that only Ken Miles could handle the car to win championships for the company. In the end, they agreed that if Ken Miles won the Dayton 24 Hour race, he would be allowed to race for Ford at Le Mans 24. And as the saying goes in English, “The rest is history.”
Of course, in 1966, Ford also had Lloyd Ruby racing at Daytona, but Ken Miles, as the original creator of the GT40, was certainly more famous than Lloyd Ruby. Within a year, repeatedly defeating different manufacturers at Daytona, Le Mans, especially Ferrari, the Ford GT40 truly deserves Ford to pay tribute to its history.
As for the design of the 2021 Heritage Edition, the entire car is primarily in Frozen White, paired with the Ford team and Carroll Shelby’s lucky number “98” used during the Daytona race, as well as a full black hood paint. However, upon closer inspection, Ford has used carbon fiber instead of black paint, echoing the craftsmanship of modern supercars. As for the wheels, matte gold 20-inch forged aluminum wheels are paired with blood red Brembo calipers, while the interior is wrapped in a combination of black and red Alcantara suede material and carbon fiber.
In terms of production, Ford did not disclose the total number of Heritage Editions, but the manufacturer also brought 40 Studio Collection graphics package models, produced in collaboration with Ford Performance and the manufacturer’s designated parts supplier Multimatic, offering up to seven special body colors, as a way to compensate fans who were unable to get their hands on the Heritage Edition.
As for the delivery arrangements, Ford has indicated that the Heritage Edition will begin delivery in 2021 as its name suggests, but it is worth noting that Ford has already stated that the Ford GT production line will end in 2022. Therefore, it can be estimated that acquiring this new model will definitely be challenging.
