January 24, 2025

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2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition celebrates Alan Mann Racing

2022 will be the past product yr for the Ford GT, the craftsmen at Multimatic turning out the past of the 1,350-device generation run. We currently understood there’d be a single far more Heritage Version coming, Ford working with this year’s Monterey Motor vehicle Week to reveal versions that would honor the original 1964 prototypes. Now Ford General performance has teased a 2nd Heritage Version for future yr, this a single a nod to England’s Alan Mann Racing. The Surrey-dependent race shop prepped Fords for races like the Monte Carlo Rally and Tour de France Vehicle just before getting a European manufacturing unit group in 1964. AMR purchased five GT40 MkI racers with the tiny block 289-ci V8, intent on honing them to win Le Mans. Ford sent just two of the five just before shifting concentration to the GT40 MKII run by the 427-ci significant block, believing the 289s could not get the job accomplished.

Mann experienced his way with the two autos in any case, reskinning them in aluminum, planning a new coil-spring suspension, an oil fill tube accessed through the clamshell rear finish, and Phil Remington’s quick-modify braking system. Named the AM 1 and AM two, Mann entered both equally light-weight GT40s donning his trademark Monaco Purple, gold, and white livery in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, primary the race for a brief spell just before getting to retire both equally autos. Ford then experienced Holman Moody convert the motor vehicle to into a 427 MkII B product, but in no way homologated nor raced it, then experienced Holman Moody revert AM 1 to its Weber-carbed 289-ci spec. That original coupe has produced a number of appearances at Pebble Beach front a short while ago, proprietor Rex Meyers pulling it on to the lawn for judging and a audio look at in 2019 — the 1st time it experienced been on display screen since 1968. Now Gooding & Business has put AM 1 up for auction this yr with a pre-sale estimate of $7 to $9 million.

On a aspect observe, Ford’s manufacturing unit group gained Le Mans two times with the 427-ci GT40s, retiring quickly soon after the win in 1967. John Wyer then made his very own light-weight GT40 racers recognised as the Mirage autos, run by the 289-cubic-incher, and gained Le Mans in 1968 and 1969. 

AM 1 wore the #16 in its roundel, and this is the motor vehicle the new Ford GT Heritage Version references by getting “16” painted on the underside of the rear wing. Of course, it would be brilliant if Ford went all the way with the AM 1 honor and rolled out a light-weight GT, but here is to dreaming. Back again on Earth, count on a energetic paint job and a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 with 660 horsepower and 550 pound-ft of torque, akin to the prior GT Heritage Editions. Generation will start out someday early future yr, we await phrase on how quite a few of the Alan Mann models are on the way.

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