by Mike Gulett –
The Ford GT was introduced in 2005 as a Ford halo car and a homage to the legendary Ford GT40 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans many times in the ‘60s knocking Ferrari from the top of racing. It was also manufactured in 2006 with a total of 4,038 made in both years.
The Ford GT was intended to capture the spirit and aesthetics of the classic GT40 while integrating modern engineering and safety features. It looked almost just like a Ford GT40 but it was a little larger to provide driver and passenger comfort to better accommodate street driving.
Reflecting Ford’s commitment to high performance the new GT delivered 550 hp from a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine and featured advanced aerodynamics and lightweight construction.
Optional equipment included a McIntosh sound system, racing stripes, painted brake calipers, and BBS forged alloy wheels adding $13,500 to the MSRP of $139,995. Ford produced a total of 346 Heritage editions, recognizable by the Gulf Oil-inspired livery. The livery is in honor of the back to back wins of Ford at the 1968 and 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans by the GT40 Mk I.
The 2005/2006 Ford GT is appreciated by collectors for their performance and design and for their role in reviving Ford’s storied racing legacy in the modern era. Lately they have been appreciating nicely.
Ford GT Appreciation
The original sticker price for the 2005/2006 Ford GT was about $150,000 depending on options. Resale values stayed around this range for a few years and gradually increased to the $300,000 to $400,000 range. I was offered a used one around 2006 or 2007 for $150,000.
Recently the prices have increased significantly especially for low milage examples and the Heritage editions (Gulf Oil inspired livery). Just recently one of these sold on Bring a Trailer for what I believe is a world record for this model: $778,778.
This appreciation may be influenced by the second generation Ford GT (2016-2022), which retails for about $500,000 but sells in the after market from about $900,000 to a little over $1 million.
Although I believe that the 2005/06 Ford GT stands on its own as a great collector car that will always have a strong following.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
My thanks to Glenn Krasner for suggesting this subject. Photos compliments of Ford.
I drove the 2005 Ford GT before it was even on the market and was shocked that the engineers wanted to build such a robust machine they didn’t think luggage room was necessary. I think they never looked up the word GT which means Grand Touring. The original idea of a sports car was you drove it from say Paris, to the Cote d’Azur with all your luggage. I’m sure if the engineers’ wives would have been along on the test drive they would have put up a clamor about this error. And then an engine derived from a truck engine, where’s the glamor in that? I wish the guy who built the spyders would have followed through –his business disappeared when he was slow in delivering, and some owners had to re-po their cars half done.) It would have been a great variation on the car.
(I wonder if the designer who did the design on his own time got punished for recommending the open car converter?At any rate, the appreciation is wonderful despite the gaff in luggage room. Even my 1978 308GTS had room for luggage for grand touring.