Jun 20, 2014 a brief history of the ford gt40 a 1965 ford gt40 roadster prototype is set to go on sale during rm auctions monterey car week in august. How ford silenced the critics, humbled ferrari and conquered le mans celebrates the 50th anniversary of fords historic sweep of the podium in 1966. The success of the original gt40, coupled with its great looks, made it one of the most popular cars in automotive racing history. Executive stylist john najjar, who was a fan of the world war ii p51 mustang fighter plane, is credited by ford to have suggested the name. Winning both international endurance races at daytona and sebring. The complete owners experience 9780975436042 by limongelli, joseph v cipriani, marcie a. The ford gt design team didnt have six years, or even half that, to craft ford s newest supercar. Ford gt models and gt history new and used gt prices, ford gt model years and history. A must buy for the ford gt lover not to be confused with a mustang book. Jun 01, 2004 one of the most exciting new cars of 2004 is profiled in this beautiful book. Jun 15, 2016 the ford gt design team didnt have six years, or even half that, to craft ford s newest supercar. The book takes you through eight chapters, each one a segment of the ford gt programs timeline. It doesnt have an isbn number and wasnt sold apart from to the first rally. Ford gt gt history new gts and used gt values nadaguides.
My book shelby the man the cars the legend is available from enthusiast books. It gives a complete history of the car and details not readily known. Having a bit of a tidy up i find i have a spare unmarked copy of the ford gt team history book. Ford has revived the the ford gt is the modern version of the incredible gt40, a car created by ford in the 1960s to beat the ferraris at le manswhich they did.
The story of the ford gt40, told by 25 rare photos. This year ford makes its muchawaited le mans comeback, exactly 50 years after the first of its four straight wins at the 24hour endurance marathon with the legendary gt40. Read all about the sports car that was built specifically to beat ferrari at the classic le mans 24hour race and win it did, scoring four consecutive victories from 1966 to 1969. A midengined supercar constructed by ford motor company, the gt featured v8 performance allowing it to rival sports cars from ferrari and lamborghini. Proper design work started in october 20 and a 95 percent finished version of the car rolled. But ford s historic 1966 le mans win changed the company and auto racing in fundamental ways. How ford silenced the critics, humbled ferrari and conquered le mans by preston lerner, with historical photography by dave friedman. New ford gt book is the ultimate history of racings most unlikely rivalry. Since no automotive press event takes place without trying to promote current product, attention was also paid to the contemporary ford gt, which was a class winner at le mans in 2017, again beating ferrari. Inside ford s topsecret campaign to remake the iconic gt. The gt40 effort was launched by ford motor company to win longdistance sports car races against ferrari, which won every 24 hours of le mans race from 1960 to 1965. The mk iis victory was the first win for an american manufacturer in a major european race. Additionally, the book features a reproduction of the gt40 parts manual and records the individual history of every gt40.
Wanted ford gt team history year book hi forum members, i am looking for a ford gt history yearbook to add to my collection of ford stuff. Beyond this, the gt40 scored countless other victories all around the world and today still races archrivals in classic events. I have enjoyed working with rk motors on the history of fords gt program and their very special le mans winning car gt40p1046. Najjar codesigned the first prototype of the ford mustang known as ford mustang i in 1961, working jointly with fellow ford stylist philip t. With excitement, we recently dove into the book ford gt. At that time there was still original mustang emplyees at ford along with gt40 engine builders, the dna would have been great it could have been a gold mine plus kept the heritage of any of the makes alot stronger. Fifty years ago, ford battled its way to le mans, took down the europeans, and landed a victory that would help define the company. It is announced that the ford gt is set to go racing in both imsa and the world sports car series, spearheaded by the chip ganassi racing team. New ford gt book is the ultimate history of racings most. What better way to discuss the economic advantages of owning a supercar than behind the wheel of a 2018 ford gt, a 2005 gt, and a. Ford also dint need bailout money, ford has proved to be king, the greatest small truck ever made is the f250 but most sold is 150. You can own one of the superformance ford gt40 replicas from. Inside fords topsecret campaign to remake the iconic gt. The ford gt name would lay dormant for almost 40 years, seeing its revival in 2004 with the new ford gt road cars.
The production car was built as a tribute to the historic le manswinning gt40 sports car of the 1960s. The ford gt is the modern version of the incredible gt40, a car created by ford in the 1960s to beat the ferraris at le manswhich they did. How ford silenced the critics, humbled ferrari and conquered le mans celebrates the 50th anniversary of ford s historic sweep of the podium in 1966. The flagbearer for fords international racing efforts the last four years, the gt earned its place in the history books in 2016 when it won frances 24 hours of le mans gtclass in its. The hagerty classic car valuation tool is designed to help you learn how to value your 2005 ford gt and assess the current state of the classic car market. The first 2019 ford gt heritage edition beat the 2020 ford mustang shelby gt500. Le mans 24 hours 2018 ford gt on board joey hand chases. It is hard to find gifts for the ford gt enthusiast. Product description ford gt40 mark ii the remarkable history of 1016 the mark ii was a development of the original ford gt with a monstrous 7 litre v8 engine.
As project engineers, they chose eric broadley, whose lola gt was considered groundbreaking, and john. The units resulting work, the gt program book, circulated internally on june 12th and contained the initial design concepts for the gt40. The book covers the story behind ford and ferrari rivalry, the gt40 program and. These were developed to be street cars first, comfortable and easier to drive, with 550 horsepower on tap. Fulfilling ford s bold ambition, the gt40 won at lemans in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. Ferrari movie, the history behind it, and why that gt40 on the imax poster is inaccurate. Either way, ford gets its story book win, so congratulations to the company, the ford gt product team and the chip ganassi team usa racing crew. The gt recalls ford s historically significant gt40, a consecutive fourtime winner of the 24 hours of le mans 19661969. Personally own several f350 diesels, even one which is still working at 30 yrs old.
Where finance is concerned, few cars can top the ford gt. In short, henry ford ii wanted to see a ford car competing in the 24 hours of le mans, which was and remains a famous sports car race with a particular focus on endurance racing. This ford gt p1075 is one of the few racecars to ever win the 24 hours of le mans back to back. Only 4038 actual ford gt s built and sold while only copies of this yearbook were ever published. Their first job was to identify a team that could build the cars. The ford gt was created to take ford back to the world of gt endurance racing, said mark rushbrook, global director, ford performance motorsports. Ford teambrand ford performance clothing, headwear. Production and racing history, individual chassis records legate, trevor on. The performances at sebring and long beach will not go down in the history books either.
The second generation ford gt became available for the 2017 model year. Kevin kennedy remembers an important figure in the recent history of ford s racing efforts. An individual history and race record by ronnie spain 1986. Ford gt40 mk ii the remarkable history of 1016 book. Imagine your original ford gt, gt40, cobra, mustang certified restored or repaired at wixom. The real story behind ford v ferrari ford v ferrari is a racinginspired buddy movie. In 2012 ford s performance team started a secret project to revive the ford gt legacy yet again. Hes also written several books on the ford model a and the ford gt mk iv race cars, and many articles about the industry for sae, club newsletters, historical organizations, museums and magazines. The real history of ford isnt housed in some corporate museum its stored in your garages. How ford silenced the critics, humbled ferrari and. Nov 11, 2019 ford motor companys historic archives are housed in the benson ford research institute.
Apr 2, 2020 ford performance photos courtesy john clor help solve the mystery of fords 1966 midengine 2seater mustang. The story of the ford gt40, told by 25 rare photos thrillist. Fast forward to 2015s frankfurt motor show, and the allnew ford gt is revealed. Aluminum structures minimize the weight of the high. Learn the details of how ford expanded its horizons, and find out what became of the. Author preston lerner details the programs progress from ground zero to the pinnacle of the motorsports world. Beautifully unregulated and perfectly balanced, yet 300 pounds lighter. Starting with may 1963 and the initial development of the program, through to fords last le mans win in 1967. Fifty years after making history at daytona, ford performance hopes to do it again in a very big way.
When enzo ferrari refused to sell his company to ford motor company, henry ford ii unleashed his fury in a car called the gt40. Aug 17, 2017 heres the real story behind the le manswinning ford gt40. As a result, he reacted with enormous interest when he learned through european intermediaries that. Apr 2, 2020 ford performance photos courtesy john clor help solve the mystery of ford s 1966 midengine 2seater mustang. A ford gt40 racing at the 1964 24 hours of le mans the high performance team included fords roy lunn, who already developed a preliminary design in the gt program book, along with carroll shelby and a few other ford officials. Official shelby american team photographer, dave friedman, presents rare color photos that chronicle the entire unknown story of the development, production, and racing of carroll shelbys famous ford gt40. This factory ford gt program has been a great success for our brand, and we have enjoyed the many challenges that have come our way during this fouryear program. The reborn ford gt is the hottest car of the 2015 naias in detroit. Book includes behind the scenes photos and coverage of the development and production of the.
This was a limited edition book published by and for the ford gt build teams. A racing history of the gt40 by jones, gordon and allen, john and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Fact is, many owners of classic fords know more about their cars than even many historians. Winner of the 24 hours le mans drivers jacky ickx and jackie oliver in a ford gt 40 racecar entered by the john wyer team. This incredible book is packed full of ford gt history, development and technical. Shelbys team modified the ford gt40 and the first win at daytona february 1965 was achieved. In early 1965, ford handed over a struggling ford gt racing program to carroll shelby and his band of hot rodders. Owned and operated by bert and jane boeckmann and their family, galpin motors is truly unique in its long history of community service, including the support of tens of thousands of educational, spiritual, cultural, charitable and political institutions and.
Most will know this was produced in limited numbers and only supplied to team members and attendees of rally 1. Jun 20, 2014 following a season of lackluster results, the cars were sent to shelby american in california for further development, and the rest really is history. The teardrop shape of the ford gt is the result of extensive work in the wind tunnel. Upgraded engine making mk ii the most powerful ford gt. Part of fords 1966 le mans podium sweep, this gt40. A brief history of the ford gt40 a 1965 ford gt40 roadster prototype is set to go on sale during rm auctions monterey car week in august. Production and racing history, individual chassis records 9781903706114 by legate, trevor and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books. Follow incar cameras for the ford gt entries and join ford s rolex 24 live chat. The ford gt was assembled in the ford wixom plant and painted by saleen. The inside story of the new ford gt supercar roadshow. Ford that beat ferrari a racing history of the ford gt40. Although the gt40 continued to be raced after the 1967 season, it was with private teams rather than from ford itself, where it became a legend in its own lifetime. Please call me if you have or know of one for sale.
In just a few short months, shelby american had transformed the ford gt from a corporate loser to instant winner. Oct 08, 2019 imsa team owner ben keating was the first to buy and race a privateer ford gt, winning the gteam class at junes 24 hours of le mans before the car was disqualified in postrace technical inspection for using an oversize fuel bladder. Ford gt comparison we drive each generation youtube. The ford gt40 came into existence because of one mans grudge.
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