‘It’s awful! It doesn’t track. The third gear’s too high, and the torque is not reaching the road. The steering feels loose because the front end’s too light. Above 140, it thinks it’s… An airplane! It wants to lift off, fly to Hawaii.’—Ken Miles, commenting on the early Ford GT40 prototype.
The Ford GT40 was inspired by a British manufacturer, Lola.
The Ford GT40 was designed to compete against Ferrari in the European Endurance Series, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
And they succeeded, winning Le Mans from 1966 to 1969.
Bruce McLaren drove the GT40 and won Le Mans for the first time.
In the 1966 Le Mans, Ford executives wallowing in their success insisted that three of their GT40s in the first three positions should cross the finish line simultaneously.
While that was very impressive, meaning Bruce McLaren won despite Ken Miles leading because he had covered a greater distance overall.
Ken Miles’s disappointment was that the Le Mans result robbed him of the chance to become the first person to win the Daytona 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours, and Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year.
The GT40 had a top speed of over 210mph and could arrive at 60mph in 4.7 seconds.
Its stellar performance and race achievements make it one of the most iconic and successful racing cars of all time.
‘Was this the greatest hypercar of them all? Well, that’s a question I’ve never really been able to answer because the GT40 is 40 inches tall… and I’m not.’ – Jeremy Clarkson.
‘More than just horsepower, the GT40 was America’s proof that passion beats pedigree.’
