When Ford unveiled a new GT at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the timing was deliberate.

The following summer would mark 50 years since the GT40 Mk II finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans, ending Ferrari’s run of victories at the hallowed Circuit de la Sarthe.

This was not Ford’s first modern revival of the name.

The 2005 GT had closely reinterpreted the GT40’s shape, but the new car took a different approach, putting aerodynamics and high-technology ahead of nostalgia.

A small in-house team set out to create a road car that would also form the basis of a factory racing program.

The result of these efforts was a race car that, in June 2016, won the GTE Pro class at Le Mans on its first attempt, 50 years after the 1966 result.
Production of the road-going GT was entrusted to Multimatic in Ontario, Canada, a motorsport specialist with extensive experience in composite construction.

The GT was built around a carbon fibre passenger cell with aluminum front and rear ...