Ford’s sporting history is very rich. Just look at the domain it has over Tourism Highway, where it is the brand with the most titles, with 44 conquests. He has also added crowns in the Formula 1 (as a biker, with 13 championships), in Nascar and in world gathering (four). But there is no sporting victory more important for the Oval than those obtained on four consecutive occasions in the league 24 Hours of Le Mans, a string that began with a company that made it to the cinema. And that was worth producing a sports model commemorating those compliments. That car, the Ford GT, begins to say hello.
It has long been known that this will be the last year of production of the Ford GT, but now, as we enter the final quarter, the farewell becomes inevitable and the oval marque has confirmed that it will be with honors: it has announced the launch of a special edition. that commemorates his victories at Le Mans 2016 and that of 50 years earlierwhen the Ford GT40 achieved an historic triple podium, ousting Ferrari after six wins in a row.
That first triumph of the 1960s at the Le Sarthe circuit had an epic nuance. There was a machine built in record time, a task undertaken by Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. And it was that story with which she was brought to the cinema in 2019 Ford versus ferrari, with Matt Damon (Shelby) and Christian Bale (Miles) starring. The Oval has dethroned the power of prancing Horse in Endurance, with dominance exercised with the TR60, TR61, 330TR, 250 and 275, and he took revenge for Enzo Ferrari’s rudeness towards Henry Ford IIgrandson of the founder, when they agreed to buy the factory.
Farewell to the Ford GT
In 2005, the Ford GT was presented which pays homage to the victories of the 1960s. Seventeen years later, it’s time for applause. With an edition of just 20 units that will begin shipping these days, the new Ford GT LM Edition 2022 celebrates its winning tradition and is inspired by the number 68 red and blue livery that won its class at Le Mans 2016: so customers can choose between one or the other color for details that perfectly match the Liquid Silver paint of its fiber-optic bodywork. carbon. .
On the outside, these colors appear on the front, side and sills, grille, rear-view mirrors, rear diffuser and 20-inch glossy carbon fiber wheels; inside, the chosen tone shines especially on the driver’s seat – the passenger seat is finished in an ebony tint, with the presence of red or blue in the seams – and on the start button.
But there are also other things to highlight in its cabin, where carbon fiber shines in the seats, center console, ventilation intakes and A-pillars: the most exciting is on the boardat the height of the co-pilot, where they placed a model badge made from none other than the crankshaft of the Ford GT that finished third at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.
How did they do it? Grind the piece into a powder and from there has developed an alloy specifically designed to produce these plates by 3D printing. The same technique with which they materialized their double titanium exhaust, with a cyclonic design and placed just below the emblem of the model, “GT LM”, also produced in this way.
As for its mechanics, Ford GT LM Edition 2022 does not alter its 3.5-liter, 660hp EcoBoost V6 biturbo engine. And there is no shortage of improvements that have been added over time, such as the stiffer suspension for better performance on the circuits.
“As we close this chapter of the Ford GT road racer, the GT LM Edition has given us the opportunity to inject even more heart and soul into a racing car that has taken the podium, promoting our tribute to our 2016 Le Mans victory. “. said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. And he assured: “With innovative materials, design and engineering, the Ford GT is unlike any other production supercar”.
Tribute to his last great career
Since it first saw the light in 2005, the Ford GT has been for the brand not only an opportunity to put a supercar on the road, but also the perfect excuse to celebrate the best campaigns of its rich history: with the its launchthe Ford GT LM Edition 2022 becomes the tenth limited edition of this model.
It is, in turn, the fourth of his farewell year: The Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition, the Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition and the Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition tried to recall what was done at Le Mans between 1966 and 1969.
With all its peculiarities, the Ford GT LM Edition 2022 pays homage to the number 68 of Sébastien Bourdais, Joey Hand and Dirk Müller who reached glory at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, a symbolically very important race for the brand because it is full of similarities to the feat of half a century ago, when it led an epic battle against Ferrari.
In 1966 the podium was conquered by the pairings of the Ford GT40. The victory went to the Australian Bruce McLaren, second was Ken Miles (the idea was that they would arrive together but they could not coordinate but the British lost the race in the last meters) and third was the American Ronnie Bucknum .
In 2016, just like 50 years earlier, Ford Chip Ganassi’s # 68 Ford GT40 took the lead for the last time at race 20, after having had several head-to-head clashes with Giancarlo Fisichella’s Ferrari 488 GTE. , Matteo Malucelli and Toni Vilander. A cinematic effort to finish the test in the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Professional (LMGTE Pro) class.
Source: Clarin
