1966 Ford GT40 Victory
Ford's first Le Mans victory: the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 34th Grand Prix of Endurance, held on 18 and 19 June 1966. It was the seventh round of the 1966 World Sportscar Championship and marked the first overall win for the Ford GT40, as well as the first win for an American constructor in a major European race since Jimmy Murphy's Duesenberg victory at the 1921 French Grand Prix.
Quick Facts
- Winning team
- Ford GT40 Mk II
- Project codename
- None (often misattributed; the GT40 program was not called 'The Cobra Project')
Lore & Background
Ford entered eight Mark II GT40s in the prototype class, with three prepared by Holman & Moody and three by Shelby American; two more were run by Alan Mann Racing. The Mk.II used a 7-litre NASCAR engine rated at 485 hp due to a lowered rev limit. Ferrari countered with the 330 P3, but strike action in Italy hampered preparation. Porsche debuted the 906 Carrera 6, and Matra entered with a BRM V8 engine. The race also saw the debut of Henri Pescarolo, who would later set the record for most Le Mans starts.
Reader's Guide
The 1966 race introduced new FIA Appendix J regulations, redefining categories: Group 3 for GT cars, Group 4 for Sports Cars, Group 5 for Special Touring Cars, and Group 6 for Prototypes. The ACO accepted entries from Groups 3, 4, and 6. Minimum production runs were 500 cars for Group 3 and 50 for Group 4, with engine capacity limits for Group 4. Weight and fuel-tank capacity were scaled by engine size.
Did You Know?
- Jacky Ickx did not debut at Le Mans in 1966; his first Le Mans start was in 1967.
- The Mini Marcos, based on a Mini Cooper 'S' chassis, was entered and became a crowd favorite despite its small size.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the outcome of the 1966 Le Mans race?
Ford secured a historic one-two-three finish with their GT40 Mk II models, ending Ferrari's ten-year dominance at the circuit. This result marked the beginning of American engineering supremacy in endurance racing.
Who led the effort to build the winning cars?
Lee Iacocca and Henry Ford II directed the program after a partnership deal with Enzo Ferrari fell through. They aimed to use this victory as a statement of industrial capability against their Italian rivals.
Which car variant claimed the top spot on the podium?
The championship-winning machine was the Ford GT40 Mk II, piloted by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon. Its reliability and performance proved superior to the competition over the grueling twenty-four-hour duration.
Was there an official codename used for this racing program?
No, the initiative did not have a secret name such as 'The Cobra Project,' which is often incorrectly cited in popular culture. It was officially referred to simply as the GT40 project by Ford Motor Company.
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