This 2006 Ford GT Is Throwback Performance Done Right

The Ford GT story begins in the 1960s, a booming time for the American car industry. Back then, the Blue Oval, led by Henry Ford II, had his sights set on racing at LeMans. But that was no easy feat for a company that didn't have the experience of racing on the fast and brutal roads of the European roads and tracks.

Thankfully, in 1963, Mister Ford received the news that Enzo Ferrari was thinking of selling to the Detroit giant. That meant Ford could take Ferrari's already brilliant racing program, slap their badge on it, and just go on and win.

But there was a problem. When the army of suits from the States arrived in Italy to meet Mister Enzo and his lawyer, the angry Italian didn't want to give up control of the racing program, so he took his lawyer, stormed out, and that was that. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Angered by the disrespect given and the wasted millions in audits, Henry Ford gave out the task - beat Ferrari at all costs. The task of engineering the car was handed off to a few companies, like Lola, Lotus, and Cooper, but none were successful.

A prototype of the new racecar called the GT40 saw racing tarmac for the first time in 1964 at the Nurburgring 1,000 km race. There, it retired with suspension failure after holding second place for most of the race. Three weeks later, the 24 hours of LeMans took place, and the Fords failed again - all three of them.

After a shoulder-sagging performance for that season, Ford handed the make-the-GT40–fast task over to the legendary driver, car builder, and LeMans winner Carroll Shelby. He tweaked the body of the GT40 and dropped a monstrous 7-liter (427 ci) V8 in it.

The 'there's no replacement for displacement' route proved successful, raking up victories in the season, culminating with a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 hours of LeMans with a legendary yet tragic and controversial drive from Ken Miles.

The following iterations of the racer kept on winning, fulfilling the crush-Ferrari dream. The GT40 was dethroned in 1970 by the monster known as the 917. After that, Ford didn't make sports cars anymore - they made sporty cars, like the Mustang and the Escort, but no thoroughbred speed machines. But, in 1995, things changed.

Back then, Ford released at the North American International Auto Show the GT90 concept car to the world, which was based on the Jaguar XJ220 and powered by a quad-turbo V12 placed behind the driver. That exact car didn't make it to production, but in 2002, the Blue Oval released the GT to the stunned masses, and this time, it made it to production in 2004. Today, we have one from 2006, the last year of production, to dive deep into.

The throwback styling of the mid-engined supercar is finished in Tungsten Gray with silver stripes running down the middle and Ford GT decals on the sides. The gray theme continues to the wheels, which come from BBS and are forged from aluminum. They measure 18 inches in the front and 19 in the rear with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires.

Behind those wheels, you'll find Brembo calipers over cross-drilled and ventilated rotors. Staying in the guts of the car, the suspension setup is really interesting to say the least. While this car, visually, is a throwback to the cars from the '60s, it is only aesthetics-wise. The suspension setup comes in the form of a pushrod system, keeping the massive power in check.

Step inside, and the retro-throwback aesthetic is still present. There is a lot of aluminum thorught the cabin, like on the center console and toggle switches complementing the black leather upholstery. The dash is angled towards the driver, with the centerpiece being the three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering wheel which fronts a big tachometer with a 6,500 rpm redline. Far to the right is where you'll find the speedometer, which goes up to 220 mph (355 kph).

Now, it's time we get to the beastly power plant of this car. It is a mid-mounted, 5.4-liter (330 ci) DOHC V8 with aluminum block, cylinder heads, and pistons. Oh, did I mention it has a supercharger strapped on top of it? This package churns out a massive 550 hp (558 ps). All that power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transaxle gearbox and a helical limited-slip rear differential, and making sure you hear it scream and whine, is a center-exit exhaust.

This particular GT is up at auction in Spicewood, Texas. The price currently sits at an eye-watering 400,000 dollars. But that price is more than justified for two reasons. Well, first of all, these are pretty rare, with a little over 4,000 ever made. Secondly, this GT only has 1,400 miles (2,200 kilometers), which means someone, somehow, resisted the urge to drive this beast - it couldn't be me. The car also has a clean Carfax report and a clean Montana title.

The Ford GT is one of the best throwback designs ever made, and if you are Scrooge McDuck, you should indulge in one.