Many car enthusiasts have heard the inspiring story of how the Ford GT40 hit the track in 1966 and went on to secure four consecutive victories for the Blue Oval in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
Fast forward more than 50 years to today and few racing cars remain as iconic as the blue and orange Gulf Oil paint scheme worn by both the 1968 and 1969 winning Ford GT40s in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
The LeMans is the world’s oldest active sports car race, held annually since 1923 near the town of LeMans, France.
Today, Ford is honoring the feats of teamwork and determination displayed by the winning ’68 and ‘69 teams half a century ago with the arrival of the Brown Lee Performance official Gulf Heritage Mustang – Limited Edition, which is being introduced at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, Calif., this Sunday, Aug. 18.
Car collectors worldwide gather for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links is the stage and the rolling Pacific Ocean serves as the backdrop.
Brock Patterson, global specialty vehicle manager of Brown Lee Performance, made the trip with the Gulf Heritage Mustang with serial number 001.
“This should be back in the Brown Lee Ford showroom in Morrison by the end of August,” said Patterson, who played a vital role in developing this specialty car. “I was involved from the beginning phase all the way through the design phase and even helped with a last-minute change of putting Gulf logo center caps in the wheels.”
The Gulf Heritage Mustang is derived from three core elements – power, speed, and a legacy. Under the hood of this performance machine is a supercharged 5.0L Coyote V8 boasting an industry-leading 800-horsepower and a vision-blurring 675 lb-ft of torque.
This tire-shredding power is fed through Ford’s 10-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission and can be had in either a coupe or convertible. In addition to power, the Gulf Heritage Mustang receives a completely new performance suspension, carbon fiber front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser, and wicker bill spoiler.
Perhaps most noticeable, the car receives a full custom painted Gulf Oil licensed exterior racing livery identical to that which was displayed on the ’68 and ’69 GT40 and more recently, the 2019 Ford GT.
“We are incredibly proud to have this opportunity to honor the Ford and Gulf racing legacy in such a special build.” said Patterson. “With over 800 horsepower carrying this licensed icon from 0-60 mph in under 3.5 seconds, the Gulf Heritage Edition Mustang pays homage to the accomplishments of the Ford and Gulf racing teams from 50 years ago, on all levels.”
Interested in owning one of these special builds? The Brown Lee Performance Gulf Heritage Mustang costs $139,995, which includes a 2019-2020 Ford Mustang GT Premium. Production will be limited to 119 units globally.
Patterson said Brown Lee Ford has already taken several pre-orders and he expects sales to be brisk with only 119 cars produced.
“You better jump on it fast if you want one,” said Patterson.
Each Gulf Heritage Edition Mustang comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile limited warranty as well as an official letter from Gulf Oil congratulating the owner with signatures from Gulf and Brown Lee Performance executives.
