The winners of the 14th annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards were announced recently at the Concours d’Elegance of America, held at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan. Taking the win in the Production Preview Concept of the Year category was Ford’s->ke31 inimitable 2017 Ford GT supercar.->ke177 This is Ford’s 20th time as a category finalist and fifth category win in the award’s long history.

The awards recognize vehicles “most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry,” employing a panel of over two dozen jurors to sift through a collection of 30 entries introduced to the North American market during the Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and New York auto show circuit.

The Production Preview Concept category is for vehicle prototypes that are the basis for a model that’s already announced or planned for production. Finalists this year also included the 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan and 2015 Buick Avenir.

"The Ford GT is already one of the all-time great designs, with styling that is simultaneously breathtaking and aerodynamically functional," said juror Dan Carney. "A car for the ages."

Other winners included the 2015 Mercedes-Benz F 015 in the Concept Car of the Year category and the 2015 Hyundai Santa Cruz in the Concept Truck category.

Despite the heady competition, the Ford GT->ke411 bested both the Merc->ke187 and the Hyundai->ke201 to also take home the award for Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2015, earning the highest overall score among the three. It’s the second time Ford has won this top accolade, with the first coming in 2006 with the 2006 Ford Reflex Concept.

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Why it matters

When Ford dropped cover on the new GT at the Detroit Auto Show->ke222 earlier this year, most of the other big models in attendance were instantly cast in its carbon-fiber and aluminum shadow.

Even though cars like the new 2016 Acura NSX, 2016 Cadillac CTS-V, and 2016 Lexus GS F also made an appearance, FoMoCo’s latest halo product had clearly stolen the limelight.

So what is it about this car that seems to captivate the motor-minded among us? Is it the way it looks, with swoops and dips and dives in the body work that promise not only stares, but also a good deal downforce at speed? Perhaps it’s that twin-turbo V-6 mounted behind cockpit, which drops two cylinders in the name of efficiency but still manages to pump out over 600 horsepower. Maybe it’s the way it succeeds in mashing-up old-school cool with present-day technology, keeping a long resume of race-winning performance pedigree while thrusting ahead to the modern era.

In truth, it’s probably all of these things. In my opinion, the car world can never have too many halos, and against similar products from Honda,->ke34 Audi->ke14 and Chevy,->ke199 this one is undeniably a fan favorite.

Ford has yet to reveal a final release date, but when it does, expect a refreshed burst of enthusiasm and head-to-head comparisons.

I can’t wait.

2017 Ford GT

You can read our full review here,