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This 1966 Ford GT40 replica is fashioned after the original Le Mans winner but adds some modernizing touches.
Reliving the Glory Days
Few cars can boast a more storied history than the Ford GT40. A racing icon of the1960s, the GT40 re-established Ford’s racing prowess and spawned not a few automotive legends along the way. Our Cool Car Find of the month is a 2004 replica of the 1966 Le Mans winning GT40. And while many details are dead accurate to the original car, there are also a good number of modern updates as well.
Recent sales and auctions have seen original GT40s, of which there were a scant 87 finished cars and 12 prototypes, going for close to $10 million. High-end replicas like this example run upwards of $100,000. Given the performance and legacy of the car, there’s a good reason those with the means are drawn to reliving racing history in their own GT40.
Beginnings
To understand the significance of the Ford GT40, we’ve got to look back to the early 1960s, a time when Detroit’s Big Three had collectively stepped back from competitive racing. Or at least, that had been the agreement. While Ford, under the stewardship of Robert McNamara, had kept to the deal, GM had been building performance cars and engines on the sly. Without the AMA (Automobile Manufacturers of America) agreement to hold them back, Ford was ready to get back into racing.
This coincided with Ford’s failed attempt to buy Ferrari. After a lengthy dialogue with Ferrari, a deal was ready to be struck. But a sticking point cropped up. Enzo Ferrari didn’t want to turn over control of Scuderia Ferrari (the Ferrari’s racing division and true soul of the company) to Ford. Enzo walked away from the deal. Henry Ford II took the scuddling of the deal personally and vowed to beat Ferrari on the track.
Le Mans Legend
Ford’s new GT car project began in earnest in 1963. The company gathered a team comprising engineer Roy Lunn, who’d worked on the Mustang prototype, John Wyer, former head of Aston Martin’s racing team, and Eric Broadley of Lola Cars International. (Ford had bought Lola’s Mk 6 chassis as the basis for the new GT car.) The team devised a new midengined V8 design for the car, and by 1964 the new Ford GT40 (thus named for it’s mere 40-inches of height) was ready for its first race, at Germany’s famed Nürburgring. All three cars failed to finish and continued stumbles lead Ford to bring in Carroll Shelby to head their race team.
Under Shelby’s leadership, the GT40 was further evolved (including a new 7.0L V8) and the changes that resulted in the Mk II translated into a series of major victories starting with the new car’s first race. With Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby driving, the GT40 Mk II got the win at the Daytona 2000 in February of 1965. Another win followed at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Miles and Bruce McLaren driving.
1966 would be even more auspicious for the GT40, first at the new Daytona 24 Hours with a one, two, three finish, and then again at Sebring. But it was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where Henry Ford II had set his sights on besting Ferrari. There Shelby, Miles, and company posted another one, two, three finish, thereby ending Ferrari’s five-year streak of victories at Le Mans (and beginning Ford’s own streak of wins there with the GT40).
1966 Ford GT40 Replica
This month’s Cool Car Find is a stellar replica of the 1966 Ford GT40. The original aluminum-alloy body has been replaced with an even lighter carbon fiber one. A 5.8L V8 Ford crate engine has been bored and stroked to a period-matching 7.0L and paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The car also features a “Bundle-of-Snakes” exhaust design, another period-correct characteristic. The car also comes with five-point racing harnesses and new Nitto tires.
Some items that depart from the original include a number of creature comforts that buyers probably won’t complain about. First there’s the air-conditioning and the rearview camera, complete with seven-inch display. And then there’s a modern head unit with AM/FM radio, a CD player, and USB port. There’s also carbon fiber interior trim and a GT40 steering wheel.
This 1966 Ford GT40 replica channels the spirit and heritage of the original racing legend and is currently listed for $128,950.
