The Ford GT40 Mk. II was decidedly exotic in comparison to most American cars of the era (of course, that's mostly due to its Anglo-American heritage and the help of Lola), but its 7.0-liter big block was built of the same stuff as the Galaxies coming off Ford's assembly lines back home—iron block, pushrods, and all.

Still, there's something magical about hearing it snarling, barely contained by the GT40 Mk. II's rear bodywork:

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The last retro-modern Ford GT didn't race with factory backing. All its track exploits were privateer efforts. That makes the original the last one to run in anger with Ford's full blessing—until 2016, when the all-new Ford GT will race at the highest level against the world's best competition.

Not that the last GT itself didn't sound great on its own:

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Old, new, it doesn't matter; when you drop with a big, badass American V8 amidships, only good things ensue. Oh, and for those of you concerned that the new GT's turbo V6 won't sound righteously evil on the track, you have nothing to worry about:

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