Ford wrote motor racing history in 1966 by becoming the first American manufacturer to win the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans race . The epic victory was scored by the Ford GT (commonly known as the GT40), which went on to win another three times at LeMans. Today the performance of the GT is still considered the highlight in Ford’s rich racing history and it holds a special place in many racing enthusiasts’ hearts. To celebrate their centennial anniversary Ford decided to give its most legendary design a rebirth, almost forty years after it first roared down the long straights of LeMans.

And though the new production car and the original race car both carry the Ford GT name, they share few similarities. The new Ford GT Supercar is more than 18 inches longer and stands nearly 4 inches taller. The new lines draw upon and refine the best features of Ford GT history and express the car’s identity through modern proportion and surface development.

“It’s amazing that we’ll show the first cars just a little more than a year after we started the program,” says John Coletti, director of SVT programs. “That’s a real tribute to the people, processes and technology behind the cars.”

The Ford GT features many new and unique technologies, including super-plastic-formed aluminum body panels, roll-bonded floor panels, a friction-stir welded center tunnel, a “ship-in-a-bottle” gas tank, a capless fuel filler system, one-piece door panels and an aluminum engine cover with a one-piece carbon-fiber inner panel.

Braking is handled by four-piston aluminum Brembo monoblock calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners. When the rear canopy is opened, the rear suspension components and engine become the car’s focal point. Precision-cast aluminum suspension components and 19-inch Goodyear tires – combined with the overwhelming presence of the V-8 engine – create a striking appearance and communicate the performance credentials of the Ford GT.

The 5.4L powerplant is all-aluminum and fed by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. It features four-valve cylinder heads and forged components, including the crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods and aluminum pistons. The resulting power output is 550 horsepower and 500 foot-pounds of torque. This truley impressive power is put to the ground through a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission featuring a helical limited-slip differential.

The front fenders curve over 18-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. In the tradition of original Ford GT racers, the doors cut into the roof. Prominent on the leading edge of the rear quarter panel are functional cooling scoops that channel fresh air to the engine. The rear wheel wells, filled with 19-inch wheels and tires, define the rear of the car, while the accent line from the front cowl rejoins and finishes the car’s profile at the integrated “ducktail” spoiler.

Looking in through the backlight, one finds the essence of the sports car in Ford’s modular 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine. The finishing touches are Ford blue cam covers, each featuring an aluminum coil cover imprinted with the words “Powered by Ford.”