Here they come, lights blazing through the rain that darkens the late afternoon French sky this 19th day of June in 1966. Three Ford GT40 Mk II racecars take the checkered flag in photo formation after 24 hours of grueling competition at Le Mans. History has been made. Ford has bested Ferrari - and everyone else for that matter. In fact, Ford has not just bested the field, but rather has won impressively with a stunning 1-2-3 finish.

2006 marks the 40th anniversary of that historic event, the start of Ford's remarkable four-year winning streak of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A special limited-edition exterior color, Tungsten Silver, is being offered on the 2006 Ford GT to commemorate that sterling victory.

But Ford isn't just celebrating its past. Instead, the company looks forward, building on its heritage with its Special Vehicle Team enhancing the performance of Ford products now and into the future.

"June 19, 1966 was probably the second most important day in Ford Motor Company history," says Phil Martens, group vice president, Product Creation. "The first, of course, was October 10, 1901 when Henry Ford won his first and only race in the 'Sweepstakes' race car, helping launch Ford Motor Company. Six decades later, sweeping Le Mans proved to the world that Ford Motor Company could beat the most prestigious manufacturers in the world. Those two events helped establish a culture of performance at Ford Motor Company that to this day benefits our products, engineering expertise, and brand loyalty. Today, that culture is embodied in the Ford GT, aptly titled the pace car for the entire company."

Tungsten Silver highlights Ford GT design details

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Ford's first win at Le Mans, the 2006 Ford GT will be offered in a limited-edition Tungsten Silver, which replaces Quick Silver on the Ford GT's color palette. A Quick Silver racing stripe can be added to the Tungsten Silver package.

Tungsten Silver was developed for the 2004 North American International Auto Show Ford "Performance Trilogy" show cars - the Ford GT, the Shelby Cobra roadster concept and the new 2005 Mustang GT. Customer demand was so overwhelming that the color was added to the production palette.

"There's good contrast between the colors," says Camilo Pardo, chief designer of the Ford GT. "But it's a discreet contrast. In Tungsten Silver, the Ford GT is really dressy, like a fine suit. It looks mature.

"This dark silver color also brings out all the design features and the subtleties of the car," he adds. "In fact, people who've seen it thought we'd added a feature line around the side of the car. It's always been there, but you may not notice it in the car's other colors. The Tungsten Silver really brings it out."

Pardo notes that in the design studio, clay models are covered with "Dynoc" material that is a similar hue to Tungsten silver. The color is specifically designed to enhance the vehicle design details for evaluation.

"We use silver to evaluate our designs throughout the whole process," he says. "It brings out the subtleties, the returns and the negatives, the differences between horizontal and vertical surfaces."

Story by Ford