Ford Motor Company created the Ford GT to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary. The GT40 concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in 2002 previewed the production GT. Dubbed “the pace car for an entire company,” it debuted with a look and a name that paid tribute to the company’s legendary GT40 race car of four decades prior, which famously swept all three spots on the podium of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans and would go on to dominate the French endurance race—and vex Ferrari—for several more years.

Creating a worthy successor to the vaunted GT40 was a monumental challenge. Fortunately, the effort came during a wave of both fresh thinking and retro-inspired design at Ford that saw several nameplates reappear in the product line. By the end of 2004, production had begun on this mid-engine, low-slung supercar, which was simply called the GT.

Though it looked similar to the GT40, it was notably larger in every dimension and shared nothing in common technology-wise. The manufacturing process involved multiple facilities, with each car starting life in Ohio and being completed at Ford’s SVT facility in Michigan. At its heart was an all-aluminum, 5.4-liter, V-8 engine equipped with a Lysholm twin-screw supercharger and capable of producing an impressive 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. A top speed of 205 mph and a 0–60 sprint of 3.3 seconds elevated the GT into the same lofty echelon as other period supercars, such as the Porsche Carrera GT and the Mercedes-McLaren SLR. Just over 4,000 cars were built from 2004 to 2006, with 2,022 being completed for the 2005 model year.

The single-owner example offered here was the 74th Ford GT built for 2005, assembled at the Ford Wixsom Assembly Plant on 23 September 2004. It has been fastidiously maintained and serviced by a factory Ford dealership and driven sparingly its entire life, showing only 2,322 miles on the odometer at cataloguing time.

Finished in stunning Mark IV Red and specified with several desirable factory options, it is one of only 82 examples from the 2005 model year finished in this color and featuring white side stripes and no racing stripes. Complimenting the attractive livery are optional red brake calipers visible through the sculpted spokes of the optional 18-inch, forged BBS wheels. A factory optional MacIntosh stereo system with subwoofers mounted between the seats can provide high-fidelity accompaniment to the V-8 engine’s incredible soundtrack.

Service invoices from Three Oaks Ford in Three Oaks, Michigan dating back to 2009 show regular oil changes and multipoint inspections at routine intervals, along with other work to keep the car in top running order, including replacing the air-conditioner compressor, the gauge cluster, and a recalled airbag inflator.

Accompanying the car are manuals with a leather sleeve, a certificate from Ford Motor Company, a copy of the window sticker, an air compressor and tow hook, a fitted car cover, and two additional new OEM car covers still in their boxes.

This early-production, well-specified, single-owner Ford GT is an exceptional example, lovingly maintained and sparingly driven.