This 1-of-10 Roush-tuned Ford GT is a European rarity
The 2005–2006 Ford GT was a spectacular achievement. Much like the GT40 from the 1960s, Ford proved once again that it was capable of building, from scratch, a street supercar that could compete at the elite tier of motorsports. These retro-inspired ’05-’06 models were in very high demand from the start, with the majority of examples sold in the United States. Very few were exported to Europe, which makes them an especially unique sight on the Continent, but one such vehicle is up for sale at the upcoming RM Sotheby’s sale in London this month. On top of that, this example is a very rare Roush 600RE.
If the standard GT wasn’t enough, ten lucky buyers in the U.K. purchased a tuned version courtesy of Roush Europe. This wound-up 600RE boasts a 50-horsepower boost to the 5.4-liter V-8, for a total of, you guessed it, 600 horsepower. The source of this increase is a smaller supercharger pulley and belt, along with a freer-flowing exhaust system by Tubi. Roush’s other tweaks include a transmission oil cooler, exterior badging, and special edition plaque for the center console.
In addition, this particular 600RE GT also had a color change at some point from its original Mark IV Red to the Gulf Oil livery used on the Heritage Edition models. All 600RE GTs were converted at Roush Europe’s facility in Brentwood, Essex then sold at Avro Motor Cars in Surrey.
This 600RE stayed with its original owner until 2008, at which point it had accumulated approximately 1500 miles. It was then sold to a buyer in Germany where the odometer racked up another 10,300 miles. (We can only hope that the majority of those were added on unrestricted portions of the Autobahn. Think of the sounds!)
By GT standards, this amount of use is considerable, given the fact that the vast majority of these vehicles bought and kept as collector items from new. Of course, a more used example like this means you can use it without the guilt of spoiling perfection. Values average from $209,000 to $265,000 for examples that have seen this type of usage, but because we’re talking about a rare performance edition, final bidding is bound to be higher.
This 2006 Ford GT 600RE will be up for bidding on Saturday, October 31.
