Ford GT40
The 40-inch-high, mid-engined Ford created for endurance racing and victorious at Le Mans four years running.
Overview
Ford formed its High Performance and Special Models operation in 1963 with the aim of building a grand-touring prototype capable of winning major endurance races, particularly the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The programme brought Ford engineer Roy Lunn together with Lola designer Eric Broadley, team manager John Wyer and Carroll Shelby.
The design developed from Broadley’s Lola GT concept into a low, mid-engined Ford racer. Lunn reduced its height to approximately 40 inches, the dimension that gave the GT40 its familiar name. The first completed car appeared in New York in April 1964 before Ford began its initial European racing campaign.
The early GT40s were fast but fragile. All three Ford entries retired from the 1964 Le Mans race, and Ford subsequently moved operational control to Shelby American while continuing extensive work on aerodynamics, suspension, braking and drivetrain durability.
Competition variants
Mark I (1964–1969)
The original small-block-V8 GT40 established the basic steel monocoque, mid-engined layout and compact body. After the factory programme moved toward larger engines, privately entered and Gulf-backed Mark I cars remained competitive and won Le Mans in 1968 and 1969.
Mark II (1966)
The Mark II combined the GT40 chassis with Ford’s 427-cubic-inch V8 and a strengthened four-speed transaxle. Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon led a GT40 Mark II sweep of the first three places at Le Mans in 1966, giving Ford its first overall victory in the race.
Mark IV (1967)
The American-designed Mark IV retained the seven-litre Ford powertrain beneath a new body and lightweight honeycomb chassis. Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt drove it to victory at Le Mans in 1967. Together with the later Mark I wins, the result formed Ford’s sequence of four consecutive Le Mans victories from 1966 through 1969.