Ford News: James Hetfield ‘Reclaimed Rust’, Lincoln Navigator, & 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition

By Michael S. Palmer - August 12, 2021

2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition pays homage to the original Le Mans prototype; here’s Lincoln’s first 2022 Navigator teaser; and James Hetfield’s Reclaimed Rust hotrods — many of them Fords — are heading to Monterey Car Week!

Hey, Folks! Michael here today with a quick roundup of Ford in the news. We’ve got the latest limited edition of the already-limited edition Ford GT supercar. A quick teaser look at the 2022 Lincoln Navigator, which we expect to debut in the coming weeks. And perhaps most excited, Metallica frontman James Hetfield is sending his Reclaimed Rust custom hotrod collection to Monterey Car Week. (But don’t worry, if you can’t make it, the whole collection will be at Petersen Automotive Museum through November 7.)

Here are the important quotes from the press releases:

**James Hetfield’s Reclaimed Rust – The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering**

The Petersen Automotive Museum with Coker Tire as the presenting sponsor of the showcase, has announced it will host a curated display of cars from James Hetfield’s personal collection at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering on Friday, August 13. The selection of custom American vehicles comes out of the “Reclaimed Rust” exhibit at the Petersen, which combines the Metallica star’s expressive tastes in both music and cars.

Vehicles on display will include Hetfield’s 1936 Auburn Speedster replica “Slow Burn,” 1937 Ford Coupe “Crimson Ghost,” 1939 Packard “Aquarius,” 1953 Buick Skylark “Skyscraper” and 1956 Ford F-100 “Str8edge.”

The display will be located at the “Coker Tires Presents Reclaimed Rust: The James Hetfield Collection on Loan from the Petersen Museum” exhibit, adjacent to the western entrance of The Quail.

2022 Lincoln Navigator Teaser

Not much to report here, I’m afraid, although Lincoln promises to, “elevate first-class travel with the new 2022 Navigator debuting soon.”

2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition

And now for the Ford GT. A modern-day supercar so exclusive you have to apply and interview with Ford to get on their approval list before you can buy one. Along with being a limited-edition already, Ford has released several (even more) limited edition GT variants inspired by the vehicle’s race heritage. These have included:

2021 Ford GT ’66 Daytona Heritage Edition
- Honoring the Ford GT MK II No. 98 race car
- In production
2020 Ford GT ’69 Gulf Livery Heritage Edition
- Honoring the Ford GT40 MK I No. 6 race car that was victorious at 1969 Le Mans
- Only 50 built
2019 Ford GT ’68 Gulf Livery Heritage Edition
- Honoring Ford GT40 MK I No. 9 race car that was victorious at 1968 Le Mans
- Only 50 built
2018 Ford GT ’67 Heritage Edition
- Honoring Ford GT40 MK IV No. 1 race car that was victorious at Le Mans in 1967
- Only 39 built
2017 Ford GT ’66 Heritage Edition
- Honoring Ford GT40 MK II No. 2 that Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove at 1966 Le Mans
- Only 27 built
2006 Ford GT Gulf Livery Heritage Edition
- Commemorating GT40’s back-to-back 24 Hours of Le Mans titles in 1968 and 1969
- Only 343 built

And now for 2022, Ford’s latest Heritage Edition is inspired by the 1962 Ford GT prototype that debuted at the New York International Auto Show on April 3, 1964 and went on to become America’s only Le Mans-winning supercar. And, should you be heading to Monterey car week you can see the 2022 Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition in person along with the only remaining 1964 Ford GT prototype, GT/105, still wearing the original livery.

Here are the details:

The Ford GT ’64 Prototype Heritage Edition supercar wears Wimbledon White paint with Antimatter Blue graphics, including an over-the-roof triple racing stripe. Exposed carbon fiber components are prominent, including 20-inch Antimatter Blue-painted carbon fiber wheels, a touch unique to Ford GT, as well as an exposed carbon fiber front splitter, side sills, mirror stalks, engine louvers and rear diffuser finished in gloss. Brembo brake calipers lacquered in silver with black graphics, plus black lug nuts further modernize the aesthetic.

Carbon fiber carries into the cabin as well, with carbon fiber door sills, lower A-pillars and console, along with matte carbon fiber registers. Lightspeed Blue Alcantara-wrapped carbon fiber seats feature silver stitching, while seating surfaces and head restraints are embossed with the GT logo. The instrument panel is wrapped in Ebony leather and Lightspeed Blue Alcantara, while pillars and headliner are wrapped in Ebony Alcantara. Antimatter Blue appliqués on the instrument panel, door register bezels and seat X-brace are coordinated with the unique wheels. The steering wheel is finished in Ebony Alcantara with black stitching, while dual-clutch paddle shifters are clear and polished.

“There are a lot of milestone moments in the history of Ford GT that we’ve celebrated, but the team was unanimous in believing the original prototype was the right vehicle this time around,” Severson said. “That 1964 prototype unleashed the creative genius of the Ford Advanced Vehicles team and paved the way for the Ford GT program. It put all of this in motion.”

Original Ford GT prototypes underscore ingenuity and speed

With the objective of beating Ferrari and winning Le Mans, Ford began development of its own race car in 1963, and less than a year later, the Ford GT prototype (chassis GT/101) was revealed at the 1964 New York International Auto Show.

Five GT prototypes were built – the first Ford models to use deep aerodynamic analysis to optimize high-speed performance. These are some of the most significant cars produced by Ford, marking the foundation for the GT program that culminated in the company’s 1-2-3 sweep at Le Mans in 1966. The cars symbolize the groundbreaking engineering that continues at Ford with the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition.

Of the five Ford GT prototypes built, chassis GT/105 is the only one to survive and wear the period-correct livery.

Chassis GT/101 and GT/102 were scrapped after Le Mans and Monza crash testing, but that testing was critical in making significant improvements to GT/103, GT/104 and GT/105. Marking the first GT victory, GT/103 won at Daytona in 1965 with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby behind the wheel, while GT/104 placed third with Bob Bondurant and Ritchie Ginther. Both GT/103 and GT/104 have been repainted and are exclusive displays at the Shelby Museum in Boulder, Colorado.