Wayne Gretzky's 2006 Ford GT Is up for Auction on Bring a Trailer
A first-gen Ford GT is already desirable, and this one has celebrity provenance.
With a supercharged V-8 and a manual transmission, this era of Ford GT is more old-school than the high-tech 2020s edition.
This car has ultralow mileage and is a Heritage Edition with great livery.
How much value celebrity ownership adds to a car can vary wildly (see: Jon Voight's Chrysler LeBaron from that Seinfeld episode). But park a supercharged-V8 Ford GT in an ice rink and you're going to get a lot more attention than the post-second-period Zamboni. The photo location highlights the fact that this 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) was once owned by hockey's Great One: Wayne Gretzky.
Gulf-racing orange over pale blue, an homage to the GT40s that raced and won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, really works on this era of Ford GT. And those "99" racing decals are an obvious reference to Gretzky's longtime jersey number.
Although the later, second-generation Ford GT is a technical tour de force, this first generation provides a closer experience of what driving around in a GT40 actually feels like. As such, values have been skyrocketing of late, so you might as well go for one with a great history and cool colors. It also helps that this example has just 1200 miles on the odometer.
Powered by a mid-mounted 5.4-liter V-8 fitted with a supercharger, the GT packs a still-respectable 550 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Those twin exhausts emit a roar like a hometown crowd celebrating an overtime-winning goal when you goose the throttle. Add in a six-speed manual and a limited-slip diff out back, and this is some old-time rock 'em sock 'em performance.
Speaking of performance, while Gretzky made his name as a playmaker and goal scorer, the GT finishes its checks like his old teammate and enforcer Dave Semenko. As tested by Car and Driver back when it was new, the 2006 Ford GT clocked off a 3.3-second 0-to-60-mph run, leaving a Ferrari 430 Challenge Stradale and a Porsche 911 GT3 in its dust. It pulled nearly 1.0 g on the skidpad, had fade-free brakes, and generally knocked the European competition off their skates. It's a bruiser.
Not to the driver though. The GT comes with air conditioning and a CD player. The ride is pretty firm, but beyond that, there is no excuse for only having 1200 miles on the odometer.
As number 99 famously said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." So get in there and place your bid. Don't leave this Ford GT on ice.
The auction ends on June 6.
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Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 4.8 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.4 sec Top Speed (mfr's est): 171 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 144 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 294 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 1.01 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 18/15/22 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Dan Edmunds Technical Editor Dan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by (no relation) to build a testing department.
