The stunning Ford GT40 came about after Henry Ford II failed in his bid to buy Ferrari.
In 1963 Ford Advanced Vehicles was set up with the help of Eric Broadley, from Lola cars. The first prototype GT40 was finished in April 1964. The car gets its name from the fact the roof sits just 40 inches above the road, this feature is also the reason why the doors cut into the roof - to aid entry.
The GT40 prototype used a 4.2 litre V8 making 350 bhp, the car was raced and tested at Le Mans, the Nurburgring, Reims and Nassau. Information gained through these trials and the adjustments made allowed the team to achieve an impressive top speed of 207 mph.
In 1965 Ford settled on a 4.7 litre V8 for its MK I GT40, Fifty cars were produced to conform to homologation laws for racing.
The MK II GT40 came with a larger 7 litre V8 making 485 bhp, this new car took all three podium places at the Daytona 24 hour race. At the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours several MK I and MK II GT40's took part, 3 of the MK II's took first second and third.
The GT40 MK III was intended for road use and a 4.7 litre V8 detuned to 306 bhp was offered.
The final MK IV version of the GT40 returned again tot he 7 litre engine and the final incarnation of the car was capable of 220 mph, supercar performance even by today's standards.
In all the GT40 stole the Le Mans crown from Ferrari 4 times consecutively from 1966 - 1969.
Today the Ford GT supercar first produced in 2003 pays homage to this great racer, possibly Fords finest.
The modern car uses a 5.4 litre V8 making 550 horsepower with a top speed in excess of 200 mph.
No comments:
Post a Comment