Best American cars of all time - Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 is an iconic 60's racer which famously upset Ferrari at Le Mans
Commissioned with the help of Eric Broadley, the owner and design guru of successful English racing car builder Lola Cars, the legendary Ford GT40 was developed purely to beat Ferrari in sports car races.
The two brands weren’t natural competitors, but Enzo Ferrari famously upset Henry Ford II after unilaterally pulling out of talks about a possible takeover of Ferrari. Ford had already spent a fortune on putting the deal together, and wasn’t a happy bunny.
Determined to humiliate the Italians on the track where it would hurt the most, money was pumped into the new GT40 project which took shape first in the Lola Cars factory in Bromley, and then at a new Ford Advanced Vehicles facility in Slough. Powered by various mid-mounted Ford V8s starting with a 289 cubic inch unit, after a tricky first couple of years the GT40 became one of the dominant forces in endurance racing.
In an original press release from 1966, Ford says “it is probable that during the year a road version with a variety of owner amenities, will be introduced to supplement the existing design.”
In such low-key tones, the arrival of one of the most exciting supercars of the 1960s was heralded. In spite of its legendary 1-2-3 race win at Le Mans in 1966, just 30 GT40 road cars were built, although it spawned many replicas and even the Ford GT Heritage Edition tribute car to honour the iconic racer fifty years after its Le Mans win.
