• Early Ford GT development mule heads to Barrett-Jackson auction.
  • No reserve sale could make this priceless prototype a bargain.
  • Road use is banned forever, locking it into collector status.

Barrett-Jackson is about to sell one of the most fascinating Ford GTs ever built, and also one of the most frustrating. This isn’t a showroom supercar or a pampered garage queen. It’s a development prototype that helped bring the second-generation GT to life, and it comes with a very clear warning label.

More: The Man Who Gave Us The Ford GT And F-150 Raptor Is Building His Own All-Terrain Hypercar

Built in late 2015, this Ford GT was a powertrain and calibration hack used during the earliest phases of development. It wears a bare dry carbon fiber body that was never painted, because beauty was not the point here. Data was. Everything about it existed to serve engineering rather than Instagram.

Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen

Under the skin sits the familiar twin turbo 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 paired with a seven speed dual-clutch transmission. The chassis features a carbon fiber passenger cell, aluminium subframes, pushrod suspension, an adjustable ride height, active aero, and massive carbon ceramic brakes.

Flying Solo

Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen

Barrett Jackson

Inside, it’s pure racecar theater. Swing the door upwards and you’re met with a fixed carbon bucket, adjustable pedals and a digital display controlled through an F1-inspired steering wheel. The interior is a little rough around the edges, and there’s no passenger seat, but it looks a lot smarter than the exterior.

Barrett-Jackson has six other GTs crossing the block at Scottsdale, including one owned by Tim Allen and a late pre-production prototype later converted to track-only MkII spec with 700 hp. All of them look much tidier than this one, but this lot’s important role in the GT story makes it the most interesting of all of them.

A Rare GT You Can’t Actually Drive

It’s also being sold by Ford with no reserve, meaning it could cost you far less than a shiny, little-used production GT, depending on how excited rich Blue Oval fans get in Arizona this week. And proceeds from the auction sale will support preservation of the Ford Heritage Fleet, which sounds like a good cause to us.

But there’s a catch, and it’s a big one. The car is being sold on a bill of sale only and comes with an absolute prohibition on any road use. You can’t register it, can’t insure it and definitely can’t drive it on public roads, at least not legally.

Nevertheless, if you’re a GT fan with a pristine example already in your garage, this bit of history would make a great companion. Check out the full listing here.

Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen
Ford’s Selling A Secret GT Prototype That Was Never Meant To Be Seen

Barrett Jackson