There’s a seat reserved for the Ford GT40 at the roundtable of automotive icons. Ford’s supercar challenger was bred out of the desire to stick it to Ferrari after the deal turned sour.
“Go to Le Mans, and beat his ass” — Henry Ford II
Ford’s prolific GT-badge bearing had upset the equilibrium of motorsports after its unearthing that would persist throughout the lifespan of Ford’s golden child (1964 to 1969 to be exact). The MK II GT40 debuted in 1964 propelled by a 4,2-Litre aluminium block V8 —which belonged to a Ford Fairline — housed in a heavy steel body that saw numerous victories across iconic races such as the Le Mans 24 hours, Nurburgring 1000km, etc.
After being handed the responsibility of racing the GT40s at the tail end of 1964, Carroll Shelby replaced the 4,2-litre V8 that powered the first GT40 iteration and replaced it with a brawnier and beefier 7,0-Litre 427 cubic-inch V8 that produced 361 kW and 644 Nm! And so, the MKII GT40 was born. The sultry physique of the MKII GT40 featured a T-44 four-speed manual transmission and a frame that tipped the scales at roughly 1200 kg.
1965 saw the MKII’s first victory at Daytona but was followed by a rough year serving as the curtain raiser for what would be one of the most iconic moments in the history of competitive racing. Ford’s overwhelming sweeping podium finish at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans satiated what had been a decades-long effort to stick it to Ferrari.
Interestingly there are still some examples being used in modern-day races today. In October of 2022, a GT40 participating in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps showcases the venerated race car being put through its paces in a satisfyingly palpable and visceral manner. The car was piloted by Oliver Bryant and James Cottingham who were able to finish in P3 while only having seven working cylinders brought on by a pushrod failure in the final stretch of the endurance race.
