1966 Ford GT40 MKI Coupe

Every car manufacturer during the 1960s wanted to beat the race-winning Maranello boys. Ford's desire to do so became even greater when Enzo Ferrari abruptly terminated negotiations to sell his company to Ford. The Ford GT-40 program was a result of Henry Ford II's unsuccessful attempt to buy Ferrari. Initially welcomed by Ferrari, a deal was all but agreed on - but Ferrari called it off in 1963 after an agreement with Fiat gave some financial backing to Ferrari while also promising to preserve Ferrari's independent. When rebuffed, Henry decreed that Ford compete at long-distance races against Ferrari (who won at LeMans six times from 1960 to 1965). The Ford GT-40 became a winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans four times, from 1966 to 1969.

The decision to go head-to-head with Ferrari by building a car to compete against them came directly from Henry Ford II; the design-and-build work took place in England by Eric Broadley of Lola Cars.

The result of such teamwork was the Ford GT, later called the GT40 because the distance from the ground to the top of the windshield/ roof was 40 inches. The car was named the GT after the Grand Tourismo category; the 40 represented its overall height of 40 inches, as required by the rules. Ford V8 engine of 4.7 and 7.0 liters were used, compared with the Ferrari V12, which displaced 3.0 or 4.0 liters. The first 12 'prototype' vehicles carried serial numbers GT-101 through GT-112. When 'production' began, subsequent cars were officially called 'GT-40s,' which dispels the story that the identifier was 'only a nickname.'


The prototype was unveiled in April 1964. The early cars used a 4.2 liter Ford V8 which did not turn out to be a winner. The Mk II cars were fitted with a monstrous 7-liter engine that had been tried and tested on racetracks in America.

Ford had cracked it; they secured a 1-2-3 finish at Daytona. In 1966, there was the historic 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans, beating the Ferrari team, and further first-place finishes in 1967, 1968 and 1969.

The example displayed was purchased by Zora Duntov for the Corvette group and was extensively tested as part of a mid-engine Corvette study program. Found in 1967 by the present owner and restored in 1989, it has been driven on the street and enjoyed for the past 47 years. It was restored for a Watkins Glen racetrack reunion in 1989.