Which Ford GT is street-legal?
The road-worthy Ford GTs are the two production generations built for public roads: the original 2005–2006 Ford GT and the 2017–2022 Ford GT. Racing-focused variants such as the Ford GT Mk II are not street-legal.
Street-legal Ford GT models
Below is a breakdown of the two main road-going generations that were designed to be registered and driven on public roads around the world.
First generation (2005–2006)
- Ford GT (2005–2006): A modern homage to the Le Mans-winning GT40, powered by a mid-mounted V8 and sold as a limited, street-legal production car.
These early GTs were produced to meet homologation requirements and were able to be registered for street use in most markets, subject to local emissions and safety rules.
Second generation (2017–2022)
- Ford GT (2017–2022): The second-generation road car, with a mid-mounted EcoBoost V6 and a carbon-fiber chassis, offered in limited numbers and designed for street use with modern road-legal requirements.
The modern GTs continued to be sold as road-legal hypercars, available to enthusiasts under specialized allocation and compliance with applicable regulations in participating markets.
Non-street-legal variants
Some Ford GT models are built exclusively for track use or racing competition and are not legal to drive on public roads.
Ford GT Mk II (track-only)
- Ford GT Mk II: A high-performance, track-focused variant that is not street-legal in most jurisdictions, designed for competitive events and closed courses.
Track-only status means it typically lacks essential road-legal equipment such as headlights, turn signals, license plates, and the required emissions and safety features for public roads.
Racing-spec GT variants (GT3, GTE) and related race cars
- Racing-spec Ford GT variants (GT3, GTE, and other endurance-race adaptations): Built for professional competition and not intended for street use outside controlled environments.
These racing configurations may share design DNA with the road cars but are stripped of road-legal equipment and compliance, rendering them unsuitable for daily driving.
Summary
In practice, if you want a Ford GT that you can legally drive on public roads, you’re looking at the two road-going generations: the 2005–2006 Ford GT and the 2017–2022 Ford GT. Any Mk II or racing-spec GT variant is intended exclusively for track use and is not street-legal. As with any high-performance vehicle, compliance with local registration, emissions, and safety regulations is required in order to operate legally on public roads.
