Did Henry Ford II (1917–87) decide to go sports car racing and beat Ferrari out of pique, when Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) pulled back from a deal to sell out to the Americans in 1963? Ford certainly seemed to have regarded control of his racing teams as a plum part of the deal, for the ultimate sticking point, Ferrari recalled, was Ford’s desire to control the whole race programme and leave him no discretion to spend anything over $10,000 without reference to Detroit.
Whatever the motivation, Ford decided that winning Le Mans, the world’s preeminent sports car race, was a prestige worth investing in and the GT40 programme was set up by top executive Lee Iacocca explicitly to do this. Ford reached outside the company to set up a group full of talent and race experience with Eric Broadley (1928–), founder of Lola Cars and one of the great generation of British race car engineers that also produced Colin Chapman of Lotus. Veteran US racer and car builder Carroll Shelby (1923–) was also hired, along with former Aston Martin race team manager John Wyer (1909–89). The first cars were based on the Lola GT, which also used a beefy Ford eight-cylinder motor and were British-built.
Although the GT40 first raced in 1964, it did not win at Le Mans until 1966, but it then went on to win and beat Ferrari four times in a row – a feat that seemed extraordinary at the time. In 2004, under the influence of design chief J Mays (1954–), Ford produced the GT – a re-engineered homage to the GT40 as part of his ‘Retrofuturism’ programme. It is a fine car but not as beautiful as the original. The extra three inches of height, needed today to make it a practical road car, give a surprising impression of added bulk. Sometimes, it seems, you just can’t go back.
After Ford’s victories, team manager John Wyer took over the GT40s and ran them with Gulf Oil sponsorship, winning Le Mans twice (1968 and 1969) with the same car.
Gold Cup Oulton Park, Cheshire, 1967. Ford could not have beaten Ferrari at Le Mans alone – it recruited racing professionals from the UK and United States to the programme to ensure success.