In 1966, Ford triumphed in the 24 Hours of Le Mansone of the races with the most tradition and prestige in the entire history of motor racing. That year, the North American factory beat Ferrari with a famous sweep, taking the entire podium in the event, thanks to the iconic GT40 MK racing car. Car that Ford honored in 2022, when it launched the 2022 Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition, an exclusive hypercar valued at one million euros. We did not know until now that one of the few units that were sold of this car is part of the garage of the Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, who has been filmed these days driving it through the streets of Monaco.
what to Fernando AlonsoHe is passionate about luxury cars, we already knew it. In his possession he has or has had cars as emblematic as the Ferrari Enzo that he put up for sale last year at auction and which was finally sold for more than five million euros. He also has, for example, an Aston Martin Valkyrie that he received when he signed for the British team, for which he drives in the Formula 1 World Championship. And in the museum, located in Asturias, Alonso has some unique cars in the world, as well as a multitude of objects and uniforms of incalculable value.
We were unaware, however, that Alonso had added to his private collection with a very special car, which has also been rarely seen. There is no evidence that other sports, music or financial stars have it in their respective garages. It is about the Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition 2022one of the nine exclusive models with which the North American company paid tribute to the car that gave it its first victory at Le Mans in 1966.
Specifically, Alonso’s Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition is one of the nine “ultra-limited” edition supercarssaid by the brand itself, which is part of the Ford GT Heritage Edition series. They all pay homage to different classic models of the Ford GT40 that was originally presented at the 1964 New York Auto Show, precisely the place where the brand unveiled the hypercar with which we saw Fernando Alonso in Monaco.
Also part of this series are, among others, the 2022 Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition in honor of the No. 16 Alan Mann Ford GT MK I lightweight experimental prototype that helped pave the way for the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966,” explains Ford, and the Ford GT ’66 Daytona Heritage Edition 2021, which pays tribute to the Ford GT MK II No. 98, a car of which only fifty were manufactured. units “that gave Ford a 1-2-3-5 dominance at Daytona in 1966, starting a magical season for the Ford GT40 MK II,” the house indicates.
This is the Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition
The spirit of innovation of the car it honors is maintained in Fernando Alonso’s Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition, which highlights the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and a carbon fiber body.
The latter draws attention to its exterior design, with gold as the main color and red details on the front. Additionally, it includes the distinctive Oxford White circles with the number five. This, the number of that car that triumphed at Le Mans, appears on the doors, the rear spoiler and the hood.
Besides, Carbon fiber is also the protagonist in the mirrors, the engine grilles and even the rear diffuser.. And the Brembo brakes also stand out, black with silver details and black nuts, which are hidden behind the 20-inch wheels.
Inside, carbon fiber, omnipresent in this special edition Ford, appears in details of the door frames, seats and center console. The seats are also finished with great detail, especially highlighting the gold stitching, matching the main color of the car, and the embossed GT logo. This logo is also engraved on the headrests. The number 5, meanwhile, is reserved for the door panels.
For its part, The instrument panel is covered in dark leather, with matching gold details. Specifically, in two tones: Ebony and Ebony Alcantara, which is also used in the pillars and the headliner. This same color is also used to finish the steering wheel, while gold is the tone chosen for the dual-clutch gear levers, one of the most peculiar mechanical features of this car.
The original price of the Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition like the one driven by Fernando Alonso is unknown, but, for example, there is currently a unit for sale on the portal Luxury Pulse for a price of 1,300,000 euros.
Fernando Alonso’s special edition Ford GT, a supercar with a lot of history
For Mike Severson, Ford GT program manager when the Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition was presented in 2022, this «pays tribute to the knowledge and ability of the Holman Moody Racing Team to out-innovate global competitors».
It should be remembered, and Ford does so to refer to the history of the car, that the Holman Moody team was responsible, together with Shelby American, for the redesign of the GT40 MK II. “After more than 265 laps in eight days in January 1966, chassis #P/1016 became a laboratory on wheels where teams worked to redesign the brakes, suspension and tire configuration to were more competitive, and even tested an experimental automatic transmission,” Ford reports.
The objective of this work was none other than to win at Le Mans. They had one goal: to win the 1966 Le Mans race, which they achieved, leaving for the history of motor racing in general and Ford in particular a historical legacy that is continued by the 2022 special edition of which Fernando Alonso has shown off in the streets of his place of residence, the Principality of Monaco.
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