Red, green, and white. Black and gold. Blue and orange. Some famous liveries only require the mention of their iconic colours to transport you back to moments of motorsport glory. It’s the third combination in that list that will evoke memories of Gulf-liveried race cars for practically every motorsport fan. There have been dozens over the years, but few are as iconic or important as the Ford GT40.

The Powder Blue and Marigold racing colours of Gulf Oil were worn by the GT40 that claimed victory at the Le Mans 24hr Endurance race both in 1968 and again in 1969, cementing the ferocious Ford’s name and the iconic livery in the history books. The GT40 is Ford’s crown jewel, and it must have taken a huge amount of courage to revive that monumental legacy, but that’s exactly what the brand did in 2006, and again in 2016, with roaring success.

Both examples are fitted with their own respective ‘Heritage Packs’, honouring that fabled GT40 with Gulf Oil’s backing, and are, of course, finished in Heritage Blue and Heritage Orange. The mileage on these two examples is truly staggering, with the 2006 GT showing just 4.5 miles from new, making it perhaps the lowest mileage Heritage Pack example out of the 343 produced. Equally, the 2020 GT has barely seen the open road, with under 850 miles on the odometer.

These two Fords celebrate exactly what makes the sport so intoxicating and enjoyable to motorsport fans. The vibrant colours, the roaring engines, the rich heritage, and everything in between; these two Ford GTs embody a moment in the brand’s illustrious racing history that saw them take on the fiercest of rivals and emerge victorious!

This pair of glorious homage cars head to auction in the Passion for the Drive: The Jim Taylor Sale with the Broad Arrow Group on October 15, and would easily take pride of place in almost any collection.