Named in homage to the GT MK II which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, Ford debuted its ultimate track car at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed. In designing the track-only GT MK II, Ford Performance, in conjunction with Multimatic, gathered everything they had learned from FIA World Championship and International Motor Sports Competition and applied it to this project. As it would not have to adhere to the regulations of any world racing series, the designers were able to maximize performance in any way they saw fit.

Cradled in the steel and aluminum substructures of the carbon fiber body tub is a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine which has been tuned to a reported 700 horsepower, 53 more than the roadgoing GT and nearly 200 more than the competition racecars. Transferring all that power to the GT MK II-specific, 19-inch Forgeline alloy wheels is the same seven-speed Getrag 7DCL750 dual-clutch transaxle from the GT road car, albeit with seriously beefed-up internals. The engine and fluids are cooled through a roof-mounted intake scoop in conjunction with a water sprayer system to reduce intercooler temperatures, similar to the setups found on the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

The most eye-catching change is the massive dual-element fixed rear wing, which replaces the standard car’s active unit and is said to exceed the downforce of even the unit found on the racing cars. Ford claims the GT MK II creates 400% more downforce than the civilian GT and pulls over 2 gs of lateral grip. Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes are found at all four corners, with 15.5-inch units up front and 14.1-inch units out back.

The interior has, of course, been stripped-out and race-prepped with a rectangular racing steering wheel flanked by a simple dashboard and a number of new controls. The driver is cradled by a FIA-certified, GT MK II-specific Sparco racing seat, while a corresponding Sparco passenger seat is optional. The cabin is protected with an FIA-compliant roll cage featuring a six-point Sparco racing harness and fire-suppression system.

Chassis number 001, the first of these spectacular machines ever offered for sale, is presented here. Cloaked in Blu Elettrico Viola with twin Shadow Chrome racing stripes, this example is also fitted with the optional Sparco passenger seat.

Delivered to the consignor in early 2020 with just 48 kilometers indicated, chassis number 001 met its first racetrack at the Dubai Autodrome over the course of February and March 2020. In July 2020, the car ran at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. After Silverstone, 001 was fitted with two new driveshaft assemblies along with new constant-velocity joints and boots, rear brake shrouds, and updated battery wiring.

After its new parts were fitted and performance-tested, the car ran at two events in Bahrain in February 2022, with the last of these runs bringing its track mileage total to fewer than 750 kilometers (~466 miles) at the time of cataloguing.

The sale is accompanied by numerous spare parts including 12 wheels with racing tires, two driveshafts, four front and four rear brake pads, three Surface Transform brake discs, and four wheel speed sensors, among many others. A complete list of spares is available for review, and it is stated that, prior to its sale in Monterey, the car will be fitted with a new exhaust system.

As described by Ford’s Chief Product Development and Purchasing Officer, Hau Thai-Tang, the Ford GT MK II, “unleashes the GT’s full performance potential without any artificial performance limitations dictated by racing sanctioning bodies… It’s the closest GT owners can get to the Le Mans-winning performance and exhilarating feeling of crossing the finish line in the Ford GT race car.” This GT MK II, the first production example, is sure to remain a hallowed entry in Ford’s performance pedigree.