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Peter Miles hits the track with this special edition Ford GT created to celebrate 55 years since his father took the win at Daytona
by Khris Bharath, on LISTEN 03:07To commemorate the 55th anniversary and pay homage to Ken Miles’ GT40 victories at the Daytona 24 Hour Race, a limited-run GT Heritage Edition was created last year by Ford.
Ken Miles is a racing legend, and his role in the development of the iconic Ford GT, as well as his victory in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, sealed his relationship with Ford. His motorsport career and even death are linked to Ford Racing.
In Ken’s life, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 was one of the most significant events. He developed the GT40 with Caroll Shelby solely to beat Enzo Ferrari’s racing squad, which had ruled Le Mans for many years.
The GT40, which Miles had helped improve, crushed the Ferraris. Ken was leading his Shelby American team’s three cars towards the finish line, leaving the competition in the dust. Miles was giving it his all to win the world’s most important race.
Ken had previously won two of the year’s most prestigious races: the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Miles had been in the lead for nearly the whole race and was sure of winning.
Fast forward to today, his son, Peter Miles recently had the chance to drive the new 2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition. The drive was captured on video and posted on Ford Performance’s YouTube account.
| Engine | twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 660 HP |
| Torque | 550 LB-FT |
| 0 to 60 mph | 3 seconds |
| Top Speed | 216 mph |
Driver Joey Hand, who was involved with Chip Ganassi Racing and the present Ford GT racing program, was the first to take the wheel of this Heritage Edition GT, with Peter Miles in the passenger seat. They head out for a hot lap and at some incredible speeds, the supercar negotiated the Daytona course.
On the same racetrack that his father, famed racer Ken Miles, dominated Daytona in 1966, his son Peter takes the wheel of the GT. He was happy in a way that he was able to reconnect with his father —
"Sitting in a car that my father raced is incredibly exciting for me," Peter said.
He was ecstatic that Ford did this for him.
Ford claims that a lot of stuff that’s tested on the race car ends up on their streetcars as well. The Ford Motor Company after all has its beginnings in Motorsport dating back over a century ago, to the time of Henry Ford himself.
The new Ford GT Heritage Edition for 2021 is dressed in a shade of Frozen White pearl with an asymmetrical graphic livery, reminiscent of the original #98 Ford GT MkII. It also comes with 20-inch Heritage Gold rims and carbon-ceramic brakes with Brembo six-piston calipers. The hood is composed of carbon and has air ducts. The cabin is just as special and purposeful with Alcantara on those sport red seats and steering wheel.
Along with the GT Heritage Edition, Ford also launched a Studio Collector’s Edition, limited to just 40 examples.
