As part of Ford Motor Company’s centennial celebration, the automaker debuted the retro-styled GT. A modern homage to Ford’s racing heritage, the GT celebrated the highly successful GT40 program of the 1960s, which won Le Mans an impressive four consecutive years from 1966 to 1969. Exceedingly popular since its debut, the GT went into production for the 2005 and 2006 model years, during which only 4,033 examples were built.

In addition to the stunning design, the Ford GT featured impressive performance, the likes of which had not been seen from a production car built in Detroit. Powered by a 5.4-liter V-8 engine with dual overhead camshafts and equipped with a Lysholm twin-screw supercharger, the GT was rated at 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. The engine was paired with a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission featuring a helical limited-slip differential. This driveline allowed the Ford GT to achieve a 205-mph top speed and 0–60 sprint of 3.3 seconds. These extraordinary performance figures put the GT in competition with other supercars of the time, such as the Mercedes-McLaren SLR and the Porsche Carrera GT. In 2005, 2,022 examples of the celebrated Ford GT were produced, with an additional 2,011 built for the model’s final year in 2006.

This Ford GT was completed at the Wixom factory on 19 July 2006 and sold to Krieger Ford Lincoln-Mercury of Muscatine, Iowa. According to the accompanying window sticker, the GT was originally shipped to Decorah Auto Center in Decorah, Iowa—possibly part of a dealer allocation trade. The Carfax report on file indicates that this GT was purchased by an Illinois resident in August of 2006. It has been driven just 797.8 miles from new at the time of cataloguing. Exceedingly rare, this GT is one of just nine examples built for 2006 finished in Midnight Blue with side stripes only. It is a three-option example, equipped with red painted brake calipers, lightweight BBS wheels, and the McIntosh stereo.

Undeniably one of Ford’s most exciting products of the 21st century, the success of the 2005–2006 GT undoubtedly helped inspire Ford executives to revive the GT again, just in time to win its class at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans—50 years after the original GT40 secured the first victory for an American manufacturer at the heralded event. Ford GTs like this one remain highly sought-after, thanks to their stunning looks, performance, and heritage, and will remain so for decades to come. This exceptional example further enhances the model’s considerable inherent appeal with its rare Midnight Blue finish, low mileage, and tasteful factory options, making it a perfect stablemate to an original GT40 or the latest GT.