Next month, bidders at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas event will have the chance to buy an important piece of FoMoCo history from the Ford v Ferrari era. A 1966 Ford Mustang GT convertible that was built for Henry Ford II’s personal use while attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans race of the same year, and was reportedly driven around the circuit by “The Deuce” himself at the opening ceremonies, heads to auction. It goes without saying that Ford enthusiasts will remember 1966 as a pivotal year for The Blue Oval at Le Mans, when the GT40 finally achieved victory over European rivals.
As if the Ford family and Le Mans connections weren’t enough, this extraordinary 1966 Mustang is also loaded with items that were not available to the general public. For starters, it’s finished in a special high-gloss version of Raven Black with a white leather convertible top, neither of which were standard production options. Bespoke touches exclusively for Henry Ford II can be seen throughout the vehicle, including “HFII” badges that grace the doors, keys, steering wheel, and seat belt buckles.
The cockpit is trimmed in tan leather upholstery (again, not a standard offering), along with bucket seats and door panels that were later seen on the 1967-1968 Mercury Cougar. In addition to its duties as personal transport for “The Deuce” at Le Mans, the car was allegedly used as a prototype by the Ford Design Center as well.
The engine bay houses a matching-numbers K-Code 289 cubic-inch V8, rated by FoMoCo at 271 horsepower with the High Performance solid-lifter cam and 10.5:1 compression. A four-speed manual transmission and 3.89:1 final drive rear end round out the drivetrain of this pony.
In addition to the aforementioned one-off items for Henry Ford II, other top level mechanical and cosmetic options make an appearance on this GT, including quick ratio power steering, power front disc brakes, power top, and the signature grille-mounted fog lamps.
This one-of-a-kind 1966 Mustang will be offered at no reserve, and documentation will be included to verify provenance and authenticity. It will cross the block at the Las Vegas Convention Center auction, scheduled for June 17th-19th 2021.
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Comments
Wow.
He said you’re not Henry Ford. He said you’re Henry Ford the second.