This article is about the winning racing vehicle from the 1960 Le Mans. See Ford GT for the supercar that was inspired by it. See DEC GT40 for more information about the graphic computer terminal made by Digital Equipment Corporation. Ford GT is a trademark (disambiguation).
The Ford Motor Company commissioned the high-performance endurance racing Ford GT40. It developed from the “Ford GT” (for Grand Touring) project, an attempt to fight against Ferrari in renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans races in Europe from 1960 to 1965. Ford had success with the GT40, winning the competitions from 1966 until 1969.
The project got underway when Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough, UK, started producing the GT40 Mk I, which was based on the Lola Mk6. The engineering team was relocated to Dearborn, Michigan in 1964 as a result of dismal race performances (Kar Kraft). Several American-built Ford V8 engines that had been adapted for racing powered the range.
The GT40 Mk II ended Ferrari’s winning streak at Le Mans in 1966, becoming the first American manufacturer to win a significant European race since Jimmy Murphy’s Duesenberg victory at the 1921 French Grand Prix. The Mk IV was the only vehicle wholly developed and produced in the United States to take home the overall Le Mans victory in 1967.
The Mk I, the oldest of the vehicles, won in 1968 and 1969, becoming the second chassis to do so. (Until the Ferrari 275P chassis 0816 was found to have won the 1964 race after winning the 1963 race in 250P format and with an 0814 chassis plate, this Ford/Shelby chassis, #P-1075, was thought to have been the first.) With the addition of bespoke alloy Gurney-Weslake cylinder heads, its American Ford V8 engine’s 4.7-liter displacement capacity (289 cubic inches) was increased to 4.9 liters (302 cubic inches).
The “40” stood for its minimum permitted height of 40 inches (1.02 m), measured at the windshield. The initial 12 “prototype” cars had serial numbers ranging from GT-101 to GT-112. The Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, and Mk IV were officially referred to as “GT40s” once “production” started and were given the numbers GT40P/1000 through GT40P/1145. J1–J12 were the Mk IVs’ serial numbers.
In This Article...
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans Race in June 1966, Bruce McLaren, Henry Ford II, and Chris Amon were there.
In 1964, Ford Motor Company began making an effort to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. After two disastrous seasons in which Fords were unable to even complete the race, the American carmaker experienced an exciting 1-2-3 sweep in 1966. On the podium, Henry Ford II celebrated the decisive victory alongside the two New Zealand-born race winners, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
The Real Meaning of “Ford v. Ferrari”
A battle of the automobile titans took place. At the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance event, a long-awaited battle pitting upstart Ford against reigning champion Ferrari for the checkered flag and bragging rights.
Enzo Ferrari, a former race car driver and the creator of the brand bearing his name, was the representative of the old world. The Ford GT40, a new version of a car that would go on to become a classic of international motor racing, and the skills of automotive designer Carroll Shelby were used by Henry Ford II to carry the torch for the new world.
The 1966 GT40 Mk II was located just before “Ford v. Ferrari”
Everyone is familiar with the tale of Ford startling everyone by defeating Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even if you don’t, you’re about to find out thanks to the new Christian Bale and Matt Damon movie Ford v. Ferrari. However, you might simply ask, “Whatever happened to the winning car?” after leaving the theater. Although Ford GT40 Mk IIs finished first, second, and third in that legendary race (sorry, spoiler warning! ), Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren’s car, No. 2, was in front of the field. However, it is currently owned (and occasionally driven) by Charlotte, North Carolina, resident Rob Kauffman, 56.
The Wall Street Journal visited RK Motors’ owner, a collector himself, to see No. 2 and learn how it ended up in his care as opposed to being kept behind locked doors in a Ford facility or museum. He said the following:
“By chance, I discovered it. As Mark Allin, a restorer in New Hampshire, was completing maintenance on another of my vehicles, he informed me that this Ford GT40 Mk II—so named because it stands 40 inches tall—might be available for purchase. He identified it as chassis No. P/1046 when I inquired which. If that’s the case, I answered, I’m interested. After a few phone conversations and flights, I bought the car and attempted to restore it over the course of 5,000 hours so that it appeared exactly as it did on the Le Mans starting grid in 1966.”
Reader: He made it. It not only runs as it did at Le Mans, but it also looks like it did. Kaufmann continues by mentioning that in 2018 he returned with the car to the French racetrack and drove the course.
But he’s not driving the car by himself. No. 2 attended the Ford v Ferrari premiere in Los Angeles, walking the red carpet alongside Bale and Damon (or should we say Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby).
Which automobile was produced by Ford or Ferrari?
The highly anticipated Ford vs. Ferrari movie debuts this Thursday, which has been circled on calendars of auto enthusiasts for weeks. The remarkable tale of Ford’s desire to unseat Ferrari as the dominant force in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the 1960s is told in the film.
If you look at the preview, you probably have one question on your mind: Are we looking at replicas, or did the producers employ real historical models when they were filming the picture?
If you choose option two, you are correct—or at the very least, more correct. Actually, it would have been impossible for the film’s sponsors to pay for the use of expensive collector automobiles to film perilous scenes. In any event, more than a dozen cars were needed for the filming, not just two or three.
Instead, they turned to Shelby Legendary Cars (SCL) and its Superformance business, which is situated in Irvine, California. Carroll Shelby has only given these two businesses the green light to create modern iterations of the legendary Ford GT40 and Cobra cars.
The focus of the film is on these two automobiles. The vehicles used in the movies were made in South Africa and imported to the United States.
Do not refer to these “new” versions as copies even when they are in reality “new.” Lance Stander, the CEO of SCL, wants to make sure that everyone is aware that these vehicles are genuinely Continuation Cars, constructed in accordance with Carroll Shelby’s original specifications and sporting chassis identification numbers similar to those used in the 1960s.
These Continuation Cars’ value is a key distinction between them and the real originals. The Cobra costs between $100,000 and $250,000, whereas the GT40s cost between $170,000 and $300,000 USD. The former don’t come with bargain-basement prices.
50 race cars were among the 423 historical vehicles that the movie’s makers were able to secure for filming. We see Ferraris, Porsches, Triumphs, Corvette Stingrays, and even a Volvo in addition to the GT40s and Cobras. The cars had to be driven at up to 200 mph for several scenes.
SLC loaned a total of six Cobras, two GT40s, two Daytonas, and six Mustangs to the filmmakers. The Michigan company Race Car Replicas contributed a number of additional models.
The automobiles from SLC are produced in accordance with the original specifications, right down to the bolts used on the wheels, which is how they differ from those from those other two firms. In the film, close-up views will be sufficient to instantly transport audiences to 1966.
The number of days remaining in the countdown till the movie opens in theaters is virtually zero. Enjoy!
Ford versus Ferrari: Which automobile triumphs?
Ford suffers another setback as Ferrari’s new 330 P4 destroys its GT40s in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, taking the race in a humiliating 1-2-3 finish, only months after Miles died in testing.
However, Shelby has the solution in the form of a brand-new, American-made vehicle named the Mark IV. It gets its revenge at the next year’s Le Mans with famous drivers Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt after a fantastic race that features a time when the leaders come to a stop out on the course in the most strange stand-off in motorsport history!
In Ford vs. Ferrari, how quick was the Ford GT?
With a qualifying lap speed of 143 mph, Ford’s Dan Gurney won the pole position, and Miles was just over a second behind. Ford finished 1-2-3 at the Le Mans race thanks to the big-block GT40s’ aggression, which defeated the Ferrari entry’ subtlety and handling skills.
Ford v. Ferrari: Did a genuine GT40 get used?
Ford V Ferrari was a big-budget motion picture that attempted to depict the condensed story of how an American automaker defeated Ferrari in Europe. The Ford GT40, the racecar that led Ford to four Le Mans triumphs in the 1960s, is the show’s automotive star, and it stars well-known actors like Christian Bale and Matt Damon. Unsurprisingly, the movie’s production required a few stunt vehicles, and one of those exact replica GT40s will now be auctioned off at the next Mecum Auctions in Dallas in September.
According to Silodrome, the vehicle in issue was employed in the Le Mans racing circuit as Dan Gurney’s GT40 with the number 3. After that, the vehicle underwent further styling to take on the identity of the number 88 car driven by William Wonder during the 24 Hours of Daytona. The stunt vehicles for the movie were created by Race Car Replicas in Michigan, and they accurately mimic the features of the 1966 GT40. This is the only one of the six GT40 stunt vehicles created for the production to have received a VIN and a title. So, to answer your question, hypothetically, you could register this GT40 and utilize it to go food shopping.
Although none of the famous on-screen figures are mentioned in the auction, it’s possible that one of the big stars got behind the wheel of this stunt vehicle. The loveliest and most physically appealing “camera automobiles” are typically reserved for film productions to use while filming scenes with actors. As one might assume, stunt cars are used for all actual driving situations. This makes it possible to shoot scenes with the actors more rapidly because no cosmetic damage from stunt driving needs to be fixed.
The Ford GT40’s history as a whole has the makings of a legend. Ford leadership decided to defeat Ferrari in brash fashion at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after trying and failing to buy Ferrari outright in the early 1960s. The Lola Mk6-based GT40 enjoyed great success on the racetrack thanks to its strong Ford V8 engine and capable mid-engined chassis. Ferrari’s streak of five straight victories from 1960 to 1965 was broken by the vehicle, which went on to win Le Mans four times in a row from 1966 to 1969.
The actual film eschews meticulous historical accuracy in favor of a freewheeling narrative that centers on Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles’ quest to win the Le Mans race for Ford. The alleged tense relationship between Miles and Ford executive Leo Beebe occupies a significant portion of the movie. Director James Mangold does a good job of telling the traditional story of the folks in the overalls versus the suits.
Nobody knows how much this will sell for because Race Car Replicas doesn’t disclose prices for its kits on the auction site, either. We anticipate that it won’t sell for quite as much as the Fast and Furious Supra, which sold in June for a total of $500,000. In any event, this could be a fantastic chance to purchase a ready-to-drive Ford GT40 replica that also comes with some background. Additionally, it will probably be far less expensive than a real one.