Legend of Le Mans – Ford’s GT40 Turns 60

There are certain combinations of letters and numbers that are instantly recognisable. Whether it be everyone’s favourite astromech droid or the lube you’ve no doubt gone through dozens of cans of over the years, these alphanumeric abbreviations are world renowned and instantly evoke associated images and memories. The automotive world is no different. In fact, it’s rife with such diminished designations. It’s still very much going on today, too, but from a classic perspective, and just off the top of my head, there’s Peugeot’s 205 GTI, Citroën’s SM and the Ferrari 308 GTS QV to name but three. But there’s one such appellation that arguably sits atop the pile in terms of sheer levels of esteemed reverence and basic, unequivocal love, and that’s the GT40.

See, from a mere glance at that collection of characters your mind has instantly conjured up images of Ford’s legendary racer. Those iconic lines have formed in the old grey matter, perhaps accompanied by the roar of its V8 engine at full throttle and a wry smile has surreptitiously found its way onto your face. That’s the allure of the GT40. It’s one of the true greats, an icon of both road and track and if you can believe it, it turns 60 this month.

Henry Ford II

That’s right, the GT40 was born in April of 1964 out of Henry Ford II’s desire to compete at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race and subsequently fuelled by a his bitter rivalry with Enzo Ferrari. But why the beef? Well, believe it or not, in 1963 Ford was all set to buy Ferrari. Enzo needed investment and Ford wanted to go endurance racing and the scene was set for a deal to be made. However, at the last minute, Enzo, not wanting to give up the reigns to his prancing horses, reneged on the agreement and sent Ford back to Detroit empty handed.

Ford was fuming and instructed his team of engineers – a group that included Donald Frey, Roy Lunn and Carroll Shelby – to build a car that he could take to Le Mans and kick Ferrari bottom and so a new advanced vehicle department was set up with the sole purpose of creating what would become the GT40.

Based upon Eric Broadley’s Lola Mk6 race car a lot of the hard work had already been done as this British, aluminium-bodied V8 GT had recently proven itself at Le Mans. Despite not finishing it made enough of an impression to be chosen as the basis for Ford’s new project and Broadley and Lunn, along with ex-Aston Martin race manager John Wyer set to work, basing themselves not in Detroit, or California, but Slough of all places where they would they also brush shoulders with Bryan Wingfield, another GT40 legend who you may remember from a previous feature.

The Lola Mk6, upon which the GT40 was heavily based

Taking the Lola as a base the team tweaked and fettled until they had what they needed. This included lowering the car’s height to just 40 inches and subsequently giving the Ford its name. Yep, it was as simple as that; it’s a GT car that’s 40 inches high. Hey, we don’t make the rules. Carrying over the engine setup from the Lola and utilising a small-block V8 mated to a five-speed manual gearbox the first GT40 was ready for testing.

Attempting to cram years’ worth of testing and development into just a few short months is not an easy task and the cracks in the GT40’s armour were glaringly apparent from the get go. The car was fast, there was never any doubt about that, but issues with aerodynamics, stability and reliability all reared their ugly little heads. Despite F1 ace Bruce McLaren being on hand as the GT40’s development driver the car’s debut ’64 season was an unmitigated disaster. With tail firmly between legs, Ford relocated the entire project back to the United States, handing operational control to Shelby and leaving the engineering to Lunn.

Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby

With the no-nonsense Shelby now at the helm the project received a much needed kick up the arse and he immediately began to shake things up alongside another of Ford’s developmental drivers – enter stage right: Ken Miles. This unlikely, but dynamic duo of brash Yank and sardonic Brummie would be the perfect pairing, ultimately developing the fledgling GT40 into a world beating endurance racer. Instigating improvements to the car’s suspension, aerodynamics and shaving weight where possible, along with myriad other modifications including shoehorning in the 7.0-litre V8 from the Cobra, the car was soon transformed with immediate results, as Miles would subsequently secure the GT40’s first win at Daytona in 1965. Le Mans however, remained an elusive mistress with all five cars failing to finish at the Circuit de la Sarthe that year.

With a 463bhp engine capable of over 200mph and Ken Miles at the wheel it was only a matter of time before the final kinks were ironed out of the GT40 and so Shelby and his team pulled their socks up and knuckled down. A concentrated schedule of improvements and modifications was initiated before the start of the ’66 season and the resultant GT40 Mark II bore the fruits of that labour. In the eyes of the team at Ford it was a winning car, now they just had to prove it…

And prove it they most certainly did! Beginning with a win at Daytona and quickly followed by a similar outcome at Sebring (where Dan Gurney famously pushed his retired GT40 across the finish line) Ford had found its stride, they just needed to maintain the momentum for Le Mans. Not wanting another disastrous outing in France Ford, with further help from Miles, developed a dyno test that mimicked racing conditions at Le Mans, not just for 24 hours but for 48. With testing complete 12 engines were built and shipped to Shelby American to be fitted to the Le Mans GT40s.

As the much lauded event approached Ford assembled a huge team of engineers, mechanics and support staff in addition to the nine cars, seven spare engines and truck loads of parts required for such a momentous race. Henry Ford was in it to win it, leaving no eventuality unexplored and amongst a truly electrifying atmosphere he waved the starting flag, setting the drivers racing towards their respective cars with hopes of glory on their overall-clad shoulders. All eyes were on Ford and the 330P3 and 385P2 Ferraris they would be going head to head against and both teams would continuously battle for the lead throughout the race.

That was until the Ferraris began to drop like flies, and by the early hours of the morning the last of the prancing horses was put out to pasture, leaving victory assured for Ford and it’s astonishing GT40s. Bringing home an unprecedented 1-2-3 win Henry Ford had finally realised his dream and stuck it to Enzo in the process, but the result didn’t come without its share of controversy.

The finishing line at Le Mans ’66

Ford ordered the pace setting GT40s of Miles and McLaren to slow to a more steady speed in order for the third car driven by Dick Hutcherson to catch up for a press-worthy photo finish. This didn’t quite go to plan though with McLaren taking the overall win and Miles officially and somewhat begrudgingly (and unfairly come to think of it) coming second. Debate still rages to this day as to who was more deserving of the win but Henry Ford II didn’t care, he finally had his Le Mans victory (albeit with UK-built cars), just three years after being rejected by Ferrari. If you haven’t already seen the Ford v Ferrari film then we highly recommend checking it out. Yes it’s highly dramatised but it’s also wickedly entertaining.

If you prefer a little more accuracy when it comes to your motorsport tales, you may want to check out The 24 Hour War. It’s a cracking documentary that gets most of the story right although with a somewhat US bias.

Although seen as the car’s peak, the GT40 would continue to be developed, going on to enjoy further success over the coming few years, culminating in Jacky Ickx’s victory over Hans Hermann’s Porsche’s 908 at Le Mans in ’69, finishing just over 100m and a few seconds ahead after a staggering 372 laps. Now that’s what we call a photo finish!

As classic enthusiasts we all have petrol coursing through our veins and whether it be 95 RON or race derived ethanol we can all agree that the Ford GT40 has earned its (Gulf) stripes. With such a fascinating history it deserves to be remembered as it enters its seventh decade. Flawed? Perhaps, but then aren’t we all? Some (and we very much include ourselves in this group) would call that character and who doesn’t like an underdog story, eh? So why not start the search for your very own GT40? It’ll likely be a replica but if you’re tickled by the pics in this article then this 1965 continuation model from JD Classics could well be the car for you…