Ford’s GT gets nostalgic (again), Dodge taps Alfa for ’22 PHEV, Canada’s ballsy VTEC Mini
Ford’s new GT Heritage Edition pays tribute to the prototypes that started it all
Intake: Ford is sending its GT supercar off with a bang for its final year of production. Meet the 2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition, a modern tribute to the slinky concept that started it all. A select few buyers will get a new GT wearing the same Wimbledon White body/black hood combination as chassis #GT/105, the sole remaining GT prototype from the mid-’60s to still wear a period-correct livery. No changes were made to the contemporary GT’s 3.5-liter, 660-hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6 or its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Although there’s no set production limit, Ford spokesperson Jiyan Cadiz noted that most of these Heritage Editions don’t constitute more than 50 units, so we’d expect a similar number to be offered here.
Exhaust: Who doesn’t love a good nostalgia play? Though it’s a bit long in the tooth, Ford’s modern GT is still breathtaking. When your corporate annals are chock-full of great stories written by this nameplate, it’s only logical to burnish that halo with some special editions. There is no official word on pricing yet (remember that these GTs are only available to purchase new for buyers who have been approved by Ford) but we’d expect each to command a premium over the $500,000 base price of a normie GT.
Dodge’s first PHEV could be an Alfa-built, Wrangler-powered SUV called the Hornet
Intake: Last month, in a slew of announcements titled EV Day 2021, Stellantis finally broke its silence about the company’s EV future. The biggest news concerned the 2024 arrival of Dodge’s first EV muscle car, but now we have more short-term information thanks to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. While presenting financial results for the first half of 2021, Tavares revealed the above timeline for plug-in and battery-electric debuts. We’ve previously reported on Jeep’s first EV, due in 2023, but we’re quite curious about this plug-in Dodge apparently due next year. Mopar Insiders reports that said PHEV will be a Compass-sized, all-wheel-drive SUV called the Hornet and based on Alfa Romeo’s Euro-market Tonale. This two-row would most likely use Chrysler’s ubiquitous 2.0-liter turbo-four and could easily adopt the PHEV system the Wrangler 4xe uses to supplement the same powerplant.
Exhaust: Dodge’s current lineup of SUVs—even after axing the Journey for 2021—is woefully outdated. Hopefully this platform-sharing effort helps Stellantis stay competitive in a critical segment, generating some cash flow to fund the tire-smoking “electric muscle car” that Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has been teasing.
Think this restomod Mini looks good? Wait for the VTEC to kick in
Intake: Making small waves on the California coast this week is the Spectre Vehicle Design Mini Type 10, which makes its debut at Monterey Car Week. The Canadian company’s take on Britain’s best-loved city car replaces the cabin with an interior decorator’s dream. The centerpiece is a white ash dashboard with three Smiths instruments, fixed Tillett carbon seats, and carefully considered leather and chrome trim. Mechanically, Spectre has gone to town, ditching the Mini’s front-engine and front-wheel-drive layout in favor of a Honda K20 mounted in place of the rear seats. The 230-hp motor sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. New trailing-arm suspension hides behind the Type 10’s ten-inch wheels, which are a hefty six inches wide to house bigger, four-piston disc brakes. The price is reckoned to be a not-so-mini $180,000.
Exhaust: The Spectre Type 10’s price makes the David Brown Mini‘s $100K sticker look dainty, but we can’t help but admire the maximum effort that has gone into creating this marvelous Mini.
John Bronco rides again with a birthday sequel
Intake: Apparently enough people streamed the first John Bronco mockumentary to justify creating another episode. The original 40-ish minute affair set up the life story of John Bronco (played by Walton Goggins) with classic rise-fall-redemption story, but the teaser video is purposely unclear as to how John will celebrate the 56th birthday of the Ford that bears his name.
Exhaust: It’s nice to see that the story of John Bronco had an audience larger than Ford loyalists with a Hulu subscription. However, celebrating the Bronco’s 56th birthday suggests John lives in our current day. How will he survive, and did he have to wait in the same line everyone else did to get his hands on a new Bronco?
This replica GT40 from Ford v Ferrari is on the block
Intake: One of six Ford GT40 lookalikes, recreated for the 2019 blockbuster movie Ford v Ferrari, will go up for auction in September. The car featured in two scenes, running as the #3 Dan Gurney at Le Mans and as the #88 William Wonder machine for the 24 Hours of Daytona. The car is said to have been built to the same specifications as a real 1966 GT40, albeit with a 5.7-liter V-8 and a six-speed manual transmission, and has a VIN number and title so it’s even road-legal. It’s set to go under the hammer on September 11 at Mecum’s Dallas auction.
Exhaust: It may only be a “fraud” GT40 and not the movie’s hero car, but this is still one faithful recreation. Mecum sold the similar Ken Miles star car back in January for $484,000 including fees, but we’d expect this piece of Hollywood history to be a little easier on the wallet.
