Autos.ca Staff

Best in Show

Jonathan Yarkony – Lincoln Continental Concept

The Lincoln Continental Concept may not be as much of a work of fantasy as the Cadillac Elmiraj with which I compare it in my mind, but it was the best of a rather small crop of concepts at the New York Show this year, but I found it magnificent in that deep blue, with an interior full of plush blue materials and bright striking chrome. Normally I can’t stand chrome, but this was a party thrown by Jay Gatsby and a lovely styling direction for a brand struggling to find truly successful designs.

Brendan McAleer – Ford GT

Is there any show you can take the Ford GT to where it doesn’t immediately catch the eye? Made in Canada too, bud – can we take ‘er out fer a rip?

Paul Williams – Ford GT

I was going to pick a McLaren because they’re such fascinating vehicles. So exclusive, so powerful and menacing, even. But the vehicle I spent the most time admiring was the Ford GT. It’s the history that does it for me; the story, if you will.

As you may know, the original Ford GT40 (it was 40 inches tall) won Le Mans under the team leadership of Carroll Shelby. Mr. Shelby was no stranger to Le Mans, having won there in 1959 in partnership with Roy Salvadori in an Aston Martin. The story goes that Henry Ford II tried to buy Ferrari, but Enzo Ferrari would have none of it. Mr. Ford, rebuffed and cranky, decided to knock Ferrari off the podium at its signature race. And he did, with the David Ogle designed, Ford powered GT40. And he did it not once, but several times.

More Related Articles

Ford built just over 4,000 GT’s in 2005-2006 that bore a strong resemblance to the GT40. I drove one around the track a few times at Shannonville and it was an unforgettable experience. Ford is releasing an all-new GT for 2016, which will mark 50 years since the first GT40 win in 1966. With a 3.6L Ecoboost V6 under the hood it’ll make about 600hp and reach 100 km/h from standstill in about three seconds. Yowza!

Connect with Autos.ca