An avid fan discusses his love affair with a car whose roots are in racing.

Martyn Schorr, a public relations consultant from Sarasota, Fla., on his 2006 Ford GT, as told to A.J. Baime from the Wall Street Journal.

Fifty years ago this spring, Ford introduced a racing car called the GT40 in an attempt to become the first American manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I was a magazine editor at the time, and I went to the press conferences in 1964 and 1965. The company won in 1966, and it was a monumental achievement. I drove a street version of the GT40 in 1967, and I fell in love with it.

In model years 2005 and 2006, the company built the Ford GT, the spiritual successor to that car of the 1960s, a racing car with a license plate. Arguably, it's the only American supercar. Others come close, but they don't have the important history.

The car has a tremendous cult following. There are people who own one of each color. It's one of a few automobiles that is an appreciating asset; a low-mile, perfect car today could cost $250,000.

I bought mine 2½ years ago. The first thing Ford GT owners tell you when you buy one is that you need a comfortable chair to put in your garage, so you can sit and stare at the car.

It will go 205 miles an hour. But one of the biggest pleasures I get is washing it. To rub your hands all over that aluminum body? It's just a very sensual automobile.