Ford GT40

Lore & Background

The GT40 effort began in Britain in the early 1960s when Ford Advanced Vehicles began to build the Mk I, based upon the British Lola Mk6, in Slough, UK. After disappointing race results, the engineering team was moved in 1964 to Dearborn, Michigan, US, to design and build cars by its advanced developer, Kar Kraft. All chassis versions were powered by a series of American-built Ford V8 OHV engines modified for racing. In the 1966 Le Mans, the GT40 Mk II car broke Ferrari's winning streak, making Ford the first American manufacturer to win a major European race since Jimmy Murphy's Duesenberg in the 1921 French Grand Prix. In the 1967 Le Mans, the GT40 Mk IV car became the only car developed and assembled entirely (both chassis and engine) in the United States to achieve the overall win at Le Mans and this victory also remains the only all-American victory in Le Mans history — American drivers (Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt), team (Shelby-American Inc.), chassis constructor (Ford), engine manufacturer (Ford), and tires (Goodyear).

In Their Own Story

The pit lane at Le Mans hums with tension as dawn breaks over the Mulsanne Straight. A mechanic checks the oil pressure on a Gulf-liveried GT40, the engine ticking as it cools from the night run. The driver wipes sweat from his brow, knowing another Ferrari lurks nearby in the shadows of the grandstands. With a roar that shakes the concrete, the V8 ignites again, ready to fight for one more hour of glory.

Reader's Guide

The Ford GT40 debuted in 1964, and improvements in 1965 led to Ford winning World Championships categories from 1966 to 1968. The first Le Mans win came in 1966 with three 427 cu in (7.0 L) powered Mk.II prototypes crossing the finish line together, the second in 1967 with the same engine now in quite different US-built Mk.IV prototype chassis similar to the 'J-car' mule. In order to lower ever-higher race top speeds, a rule change from 1968 onwards limited prototypes to 3.0 litre Formula 1 engines; the sportscar 'loophole', however, allowed the private JW 'Gulf Oil' team to win at Le Mans in 1968 and 1969 running a Mk.I with a 5.0 litre engine.

Did You Know?

• The 'GT' in the car's name stands for grand touring, and the '40' its height in inches (1.02 m) measured at the top of the windscreen, the minimum allowed.
• The first 12 vehicles carried serial numbers GT/101 to GT/112, with GT/101 through GT/105 being prototypes and GT/106 through GT/112 the first production cars.
• Production GT40s (Mk I and Mk III) began with GT40P/1000; Mk II and Mk IV were not production road cars and did not use that series.
• The first 'Ford GT' the GT/101 was unveiled in England on 1 April 1964 and soon after exhibited in New York; purchase price for competition use was £5,200.