FORD

GT40

The Ford GT40 was born out of revenge. After Enzo Ferrari walked away from a deal to sell his company to Ford in 1963, Henry Ford II ordered his engineers to build a car that would beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The result was the Ford GT40, named for its purposeful 40-inch overall height. The early Mk I and Mk II cars were based on the British Lola Mk6 and developed in England, powered by American V8 engines, first a 4.7-litre and then the mighty 7.0-litre big-block. After bitter early failures, the Ford GT40 delivered the perfect answer in 1966 when three Mk IIs swept to a famous 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans, making Ford the first American manufacturer to win the race and breaking Ferrari's long dominance. The Ford GT40 then went on to win Le Mans four consecutive years from 1966 to 1969, a feat unmatched by any single nameplate, with the 1968 and 1969 victories taken by the legendary Gulf-liveried lightweight Mk I cars run by John Wyer. A small number of civilised, road-legal Mk III versions were also built, along with the American-designed Mk IV that won in 1967. Only 105 examples of the Ford GT40 were ever made across all marks, and today this Le Mans icon, immortalised by the film Ford v Ferrari, ranks among the most coveted cars in the world.