24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES and IMPRINTS ⎮ Ford is currently the only American manufacturer to reach the top step on the overall podium, winning four times from 1966 to 1969 with various versions of the same car. Several adaptations of its GT40 have made their mark at the race, resulting also in a class victory in 2010.
The birth of the Ford GT40 can be traced back to a totally different car. Presented in London in January 1963 and powered by a Ford engine, the Lola Mk6 GT was designed by Eric Broadley, a trained civil engineer and amateur driver turned constructor. That same year, the car was driven at the 24 Hours by David Hobbs/Richard Attwood (the future winner in 1970). But the British duo was forced to retire subsequent to an incident after covering 151 laps.
During the spring of 1963, the failure of Ford's takeover of Ferrari forced the American marque to establish a competition department from the ground up and to seek an engineer capable of designing a car likely to beat Ferrari in the long term. Impressed by the Mk6 GT, Ford chose Eric Broadley to be partnered with in-house engineer Roy Lunn.
So, Ford Advanced Vehicles was founded, setting up shop in a brand new factory in the London suburbs near Heathrow. A variety of tests carried out on the Lola Mk 6 GT laid the foundation for the Ford GT40 constructed during the winter of 1963-1964.
First presented as the Ford GT, the car was quickly rebaptised the GT40 thanks to the technicians who designed it (the moniker refers to its height: 40.5 inches or 1.03 meters). A number of features echoed the Lola, like doors indented on the roof to facilitate driver access. The rear-swinging bonnet housed a V8 engine in the great American tradition.
Though no Ford GT40 made it to the chequered flag in 1964 or 1965, it did give the stopwatches a workout. Phil Hill (already a three-time winner with Ferrari) established two new lap records, first in 03:49.2 in 1964 (at an average 211 kph) then in 03:37.5 (at an average 222 kph) in 1965, gaining nearly 12 seconds in just one year by switching from a 4-litre to a 7-litre engine.
The GT40 Mk II took its rookie start in the 1966 24 Hours, scoring a hat trick thanks to (in order) Chris Amon/Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme/Ken Miles and Ronnie Bucknum/Dick Hutcherson. Ahead of the 1967 running, the silhouette of the GT40 was rendered more aerodynamic for the Mk IV. Winners Dan Gurney/A.J. Foyt (#1) were the first to surpass the 5,000 km cap in the race (at an average 218 kph), and Mario Andretti (#3) and Denny Hulme (#4) set an identical lap record in 03:23.6 (at an average 238 kph).
In the wake of such unprecedented performances, the International Sporting Commission (predecessor to the current FIA) limited prototypes to 3 litres and created a 5-litre Sport class. The owner of the JWAE Gulf team, John Wyer, decided to field a GT40 Mk I in 1968 and 1969. The car rose to the occasion, winning the first year thanks to Pedro Rodríguez/Lucien Bianchi and the second thanks to Jacky Ickx/Jackie Oliver, bidding adieu on this double masterstroke. A total of 44 Ford GT40s, Mk IIs and Mk IVs took part in the 24 Hours between 1964 and 1969, but the story wasn't over yet.
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Ford presented a concept car inspired by the GT40 at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. The car was later marketed, but as the Ford GT following a legal battle over the intellectual property of the GT40 name. This ironically restored the car's original moniker from 1964.
The Ford GT returned to Le Mans in 2010 under the impetus of Swiss team Matech Competition. But, all three cars – two fielded by Matech Competition (one for an all-female crew of Cyndie Allemann/Rahel Frey/Natacha Gachnang) and one by Belgian outfit Marc VDS – were forced to retire. The following year, the sole Ford GT on the starting grid finished third in LMGTE Am and put a husband and wife duo, Andrea and David Robertson, on the 24 Hours podium for the first time.
In 2015, Ford announced its official return with a new version of the GT. The car's futuristic lines recalled the original GT40 while almost giving it the look of a Hypercar before its time.
The next year, the American marque paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of its first win by finishing first (Sébastien Bourdais/Joey Hand/Dirk Müller) and third (Ryan Briscoe/Scott Dixon/Richard Westbrook) in LMGTE Pro. Two more podiums followed (2nd in 2017, 3rd in 2018). The Ford GT took its final start in the 24 Hours in 2019 with a livery evoking the 1966 Mk IV and 1968-1969 Gulf.
Will the Ford Mustang (born in 1964 like the GT40) continue this legacy in the future LMGT3 class? In the meantime, for the upcoming Centenary and for the Hypercar years to come, it's up to General Motors and its luxury brand Cadillac to become the second American manufacturer to win Le Mans.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1964-2019 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: in 2019, the Ford GT of Jonathan Bomarito/Andy Priaulx/Harry Tincknell (#67) borrowed the colours of the winning 1967 GT40; the first version of the GT40 in 1964 (#10); the start in 1966, with in the foreground the Ford GT40 Mk IIs of future winners Chris Amon/Bruce McLaren (#2) and teammates Ken Miles/Denny Hulme (#1); the #1 Ford GT40 winner in 1967 had the unique feature of extra space at the driver's door to accommodate the height of Dan Gurney who formed an all-American crew with A.J. Foyt; in 1968 (here the #6) and 1969, the Gulf team won with the same GT40 Mk I chassis (#1075); in 2016, the Ford GT (here the #68 LMGTE Pro winner) with its front face reminiscent of its glorious predecessor and the singular arrangement of the radiators on either side in front of the rear wheels.
