- A first-gen Ford GT is already desirable, and this one has celebrity provenance.
- With a supercharged V-8 and a manual transmission, this era of Ford GT is more old-school than the high-tech 2020s edition.
- This car has ultralow mileage and is a Heritage Edition with great livery.
How much value celebrity ownership adds to a car can vary wildly (see: Jon Voight’s Chrysler LeBaron from that Seinfeld episode). But park a supercharged-V8 Ford GT in an ice rink and you’re going to get a lot more attention than the post-second-period Zamboni. The photo location highlights the fact that this 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) was once owned by hockey’s Great One: Wayne Gretzky.Bring a TrailerGulf-racing orange over pale blue, an homage to the GT40s that raced and won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, really works on this era of Ford GT. And those “99” racing decals are an obvious reference to Gretzky’s longtime jersey number.Bring a Trailer Although the later, second-generation Ford GT is a technical tour de force, this first generation provides a closer experience of what driving around in a GT40 actually feels like. As such, values have been skyrocketing of late, so you might as well go for one with a great history and cool colors. It also helps that this example has just 1200 miles on the odometer.Bring a Trailer Powered by a mid-mounted 5.4-liter V-8 fitted with a supercharger, the GT packs a still-respectable 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Those twin exhausts emit a roar like a hometown crowd celebrating an overtime-winning goal when you goose the throttle. Add in a six-speed manual and a limited-slip diff out back, and this is some old-time rock ’em sock ’em performance.Bring a Trailer Speaking of performance, while Gretzky made his name as a playmaker and goal scorer, the GT finishes its checks like his old teammate and enforcer Dave Semenko. As tested by Car and Driver back when it was new, the 2006 Ford GT clocked off a 3.3-second 0-to-60-mph run, leaving a Ferrari 430 Challenge Stradale and a Porsche 911 GT3 in its dust. It pulled nearly 1.0 g on the skidpad, had fade-free brakes, and generally knocked the European competition off their skates. It’s a bruiser.Related StoriesNot to the driver though. The GT comes with air conditioning and a CD player. The ride is pretty firm, but beyond that, there is no excuse for only having 1200 miles on the odometer.As number 99 famously said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” So get in there and place your bid. Don’t leave this Ford GT on ice.The auction ends on June 6. Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: caranddriver.com
