{"id":21444,"date":"2014-07-07T18:54:20","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T17:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/issue_content\/fordissimo\/"},"modified":"2020-02-29T23:00:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T23:00:40","slug":"fordissimo","status":"publish","type":"issue_content","link":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/archive\/article\/august-2006\/34\/fordissimo\/","title":{"rendered":"Fordissimo! Le Mans ’66 and the march of the GT40"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n

You always remember your first time, they say, even a big boy like Ford Motor Company. Four straight wins at Le Mans, yes; but the opener, 1966, was special. Slapping Ferrari\u2019s face after the Scuderia\u2019s buyout rebuff in \u201963 and the Blue Oval washout of \u201965 added spice to its revenge.<\/p>\n

Ferrari<\/a>\u00a0supporters will always claim that Maranello didn\u2019t send a serious team to\u00a0Le Mans<\/a>\u00a0that year. But to the wider audience, Ford\u2019s 1-2-3 in the world\u2019s most prestigious (to European eyes) race looked like a crushing demonstration of motorsporting might. And it was. Racing people, however, know that even an \u2018easy win\u2019 only comes with immense effort, a hefty budget, plenty of talent and utter commitment.<\/p>\n

The way-in seemed simple: a tough, mid-engined coup\u00e9 with an uncomplicated engine \u2013 tugboat torque over wailing revs. GT40, which arrived in early 1964, looked perfect \u2013 as long as you didn\u2019t know about its scary aerodynamics, delicate Colotti transmission and head gasket weakness. That first season brought a 100 per cent record \u2013 of failure.<\/p>\n

Project director Roy Lunn took action. Cars would continue to be constructed at Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV) in Slough, but they would then be finished at a new Ford facility, Kar Kraft in Detroit. And they would be run by\u00a0Shelby American<\/a>, experienced hands at racing Cobras, allowing FAV to concentrate on the build programme. In 1965, after aero tweaks, gearbox mods and handling fixes, a GT40 finally won: the 2000km\u00a0Daytona<\/a>\u00a0Continental on February 28. The Le Mans test weekend in April, however, would prick this balloon: the P2 Ferrari was substantially quicker, and the FAV GT40, fitted with a five-speed ZF, was faster than Shelby\u2019s. Now was time to rush Dearborn\u2019s big gun \u2013 all seven litres of it \u2013 into action.<\/p>\n

The job fell to the Galaxie unit. It was a lumbering iron pushrod affair, a simpler engine compared to the sophisticated quad-cams it faced from Italy. But it was\u00a0broad-shouldered, muscular and\u00a0liked hard work.<\/blockquote>\n

Plans to fit a big-block motor went right back to 1964. Ford had tried various V8s in the GT40, though the race-proved 4.7-litre Cobra unit kept finding its way back in due to its winning credentials. Of the bigger engines in Ford\u2019s arsenal, the SOHC was too bulky, so the job fell to the Galaxie unit. Successful in stock cars, it was a lumbering iron pushrod affair, a simpler engine compared to the sophisticated quad-cams it faced from Italy. But it was\u00a0broad-shouldered, muscular and\u00a0liked hard work.<\/p>\n

To carry it the MkII GT40 received a stiffened chassis, bigger tanks and huge new quick-change brake discs (under pressure they would only last six hours). Externally, vertical luggage boxes (required by new rules) each side of the exhausts plus rear brake air-scoops gave it a humpback look, with a new square-cut chin for a bigger radiator.<\/p>\n

The first 7-litre proved fast on test in May 1965 \u2013 it lapped the five-mile oval at Romeo, Michigan, at over 200mph \u2013 and this triggered a corporate decision: Le Mans has a very long straight, so the highest top speed must win, no? Despite only weeks to go, Detroit declared that two 427ci-engined cars would head its attempt, with four smaller-engined GT40s in support.<\/p>\n

\n \"Ford\n
\n

The winning MkII steers clear of the sand that had swallowed up many cars over the years<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Practice brought the perfect PR result: a record 220mph down the Mulsanne, eclipsing the Ferraris. And come race-day, the two long-nosed MkIIs led the field \u2013 for about four hours. Then the brute force of the 427 proved itself, by demolishing Kar Kraft\u2019s specially designed and built gearboxes. Embarrassing, but no surprise, as Shelby driver\u00a0Chris Amon<\/a>\u00a0agrees: \u201cWe felt the chances of a finish were slim, but the performance superiority was so great that we thought we might do it if we drove gently.\u201d But Amon\u2019s car dropped out of contention after a long pitstop, while\u00a0Bruce McLaren<\/a>\u00a0gradually lost all gears except top. He still led, until top failed too. What of the back-up 289s? They all failed too. Corporate impatience had overridden the skills of the people involved, and the corporate displeasure was plain.<\/p>\n

The consensus was that the heavy 427 had the guts to do the job, but it would need an even tougher car built round it. Executive director Leo Beebe received the firm\u2019s blessing to do whatever he needed to do \u2013 partly because in 1965, in contrast to the Le Mans debacle,\u00a0Jim Clark<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Colin Chapman<\/a>\u00a0had brought Ford its long-desired Indianapolis victory. Now the company could concentrate on France.<\/p>\n

Whitmore remembers some needle: \u201cI was second-fastest of all the cars on the first day of practice. However, minutes before the end, Dan Gurney went out in a Shelby car\u00a0specifically to beat my time using, it’s said, a lower gear ratio that could not be used in the race”<\/blockquote>\n

Ford race manager John Cowey argued that three cars was all one team could handle effectively, so Shelby American would prepare three MkIIs; Holman & Moody, who had a good record with Ford NASCAR saloons, would prepare another three; and the British-based\u00a0Alan Mann<\/a>\u00a0outfit would run a pair of lightweight cars, with chassis built to its own modifications by FAV. On top, there would be six privateer GT40s, prepared either at FAV or with assistance from John Wyer\u2019s somewhat sidelined and peeved outfit. It was a wide net to cast, but a committee would keep all parties in touch and, theoretically, exchange development information. An optimistic view given this amalgam of several highly competitive race teams\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was more rivalry within those teams than with Ferrari!\u201d Amon says. \u201cShelby and Holman were close; H&M were assembling cars for both teams [Kar Kraft was by this stage concentrating on Ford\u2019s glued-honeycomb J-car prototype], but they needed to learn from Shelby on race preparation. The Mann team were definitely outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan Gurney<\/a>\u00a0adds to the sense that the British were out of the loop: \u201cI didn\u2019t even know the lightweight cars existed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir\u00a0John Whitmore<\/a>, driving for Mann, remembers some needle once they got to the Sarthe: \u201cI was second-fastest of all the cars on the first day of practice. However, minutes before the end, Dan Gurney went out [in a Shelby American car] specifically to beat my time using, it is said, a lower gear ratio that could not be used in the race. He did it by a fraction of a second, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"Chris\n
\n

A somewhat sheepish Chris Amon accepts the plaudits<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

At FAV, frustration reigned. Engineer John Horsman remembers: \u201cWe could not work on engine development; only E&F [Engine and Foundry] in the US were allowed to do that. Nor could we enter races on our own account unless it could be construed as part of the development of the production GT40, such as Le Mans. There was no exchange of info between FAV and Alan Mann, and a minimal amount between FAV and Shelby. They were \u2018the opposition\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n

So Ford\u2019s 1966 attack comprised three more-or-less works teams, build facilities on both sides of the Atlantic, a spread of customer entries, and three different models powered by two distinct engines. Only a company of Ford\u2019s immense size and with a desperate desire to win would sign such cheques: Chris Amon reckons he heard a figure of $20 million.<\/p>\n

Extensive testing at Daytona, Riverside and Romeo steadily toughened the American MkIIs, while FAV used\u00a0Monza<\/a>\u00a0to finalise the spec for what would become the \u2018production\u2019 GT40; if 50 were sold in time, it would qualify in the new Group 4 bracket, and the privateer entries at Le Mans would be a comforting backstop for Ford.<\/p>\n

By February 1966 five of the 7-litre machines were ready to contest Daytona, extended this year to 24 hours. It would have been the perfect \u2018test\u2019 if the works Ferraris had been there. But the 1-2-3-5 finish proved that reliability now matched the MkII\u2019s speed.<\/p>\n

Sebring in March, being \u2018only\u2019 12 hours, wasn\u2019t on Ford\u2019s scope, until it saw the entry list: it included the latest Ferrari P3 and Alan Mann\u2019s alloy-bodied lightweight GT40s with the small-block 289. Not only was it a chance to see how Maranello was shaping up but it was a final opportunity to compare GT40 greyhound with pitbull MkII. And the pitbull, albeit the lightweight open-top version originally constructed for Group 7 sprint races by Bruce McLaren Racing, won hands down \u2013 after the leading P3 broke down. Ford\u2019s management was convinced: for LM, big was not just beautiful, it was essential.<\/p>\n

\n \"Chris\n
\n

It’s just gone 4pm and the winners face a press scrum – to be followed by a protracted debate as to their rightful claim to victory<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Others, including Horsman, weren\u2019t so sure: \u201cIf we had been allowed to develop the 289 earlier, into a 302 or 351 engine, with better cylinder heads and the special small-block parts which Ford had made but held from us until after Le Mans \u201966, we could have been a threat. Perhaps not at Le Mans, but on other circuits we would have beaten the 427s. As it was, the iron-head 289 was no threat to the 427 cars in 1966, which is exactly how Ford wanted it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Gardner, Mann\u2019s regular driver, remembers \u201ca fair amount\u201d of co-operation between teams: \u201cI guess they all wanted to get the job done.\u201d But he has huge respect for what his team principal achieved: \u201cAlan pioneered a lot of stuff. He really stuck his neck out; a lot of the durability came from the Mann cars. And he had to be frugal; if there was any excess cash I think it went to the US.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though favouritism over engines might seem likely, Mann discounts this: \u201cThose motors were so detuned for reliability \u2013 down to around 450bhp \u2013 that it didn\u2019t arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gardner concurs: \u201cThey were so basic that you couldn\u2019t change much. The exhaust system probably affected power more than the tuning. And there were Ford engine people wandering from team to team. It wasn\u2019t a closed shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

American\u00a0Jerry Grant<\/a>, who co-drove with Gurney, feels the teams were matched too: \u201cI don\u2019t think we had much of a car advantage, but I think we had a driver advantage. I drove by the seat of my pants, but Dan was a very thinking driver, always looking for an edge, any small improvement in the car, more than any driver except John Surtees.\u201d<\/p>\n

With detuned motors and increased weight \u2013 while Mann\u2019s cars were lighter, the 1966 MkIIs averaged 350lb heavier than their \u201965 cousins and were almost 500lb heavier than the rival Ferraris \u2013 \u201cthe 1966 cars were, in fact, slower than the \u201965 cars\u201d, according to Amon. Ferrari, however, already seemed to have been spooked by Ford\u2019s massive effort: Enzo didn\u2019t send his cars to Le Mans\u2019 April test weekend. But even though the experimental J-car put in the fastest time, it was a not very fruitful couple of days for Ford, as it rained, and it proved a sad weekend, too: Walt Hansgen was killed when he crashed his MkII.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n \"ford_12_clr_1966_le_mans\"\n
\n

Ford got its win, but its mismanaged finish left a sour taste in the mouths of some of its drivers<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

Having been switched by Ford to MkIIs, Mann needed more race time and sent a car to the Spa 1000Km where, hampered by Le Mans gearing, it tailed a works P3 in second.<\/p>\n

It was in June that the size of Ford\u2019s Le Mans deal became apparent to the world. Ford rented a large garage from a Peugeot dealer for all eight MkIIs, plus two spares. Six privateer GT40s made it 14 Fords. While there were also 14 Ferraris, only two were works P3s, and the Italian presence simply wasn\u2019t on the same scale. There were busloads of Ford crew, management aplenty, and both Henry II and Edsel flew in.<\/p>\n

They came to see a victory, preferably an all-American one, as Gardner relates: \u201cThe cost was way above the norm for the time. Yet in one way Ford was its own worst enemy: they wanted a Yank in most of the cars, and that made it hard to keep up the talent level. Some of them were only used to oval racing. And you know they brought their own cooks to avoid being poisoned by the French!\u201d<\/p>\n

“Ford was its own worst enemy: they wanted a Yank in most of the cars, and that made it hard to keep up the talent level. Some of them were only used to oval racing. And you know they brought their own cooks to avoid being poisoned by the French!\u201d<\/blockquote>\n

Trouble arrived quickly, when\u00a0Dick Thompson<\/a>, in a Mann MkII collided during practice with a reserve GT40. Thompson was blamed, unfairly, and ACO officials disqualified both him and the car. It took Beebe\u2019s threat to withdraw the entire Ford pack to reinstate the car, though not the driver, so Mann flew\u00a0Brian Muir<\/a>\u00a0in on race morning to partner\u00a0Graham Hill<\/a>. But as Mann relates, he nearly saved the airfare: \u201cI saw\u00a0John Surtees<\/a>\u00a0walk past with a face like thunder. He told me he\u2019d just walked out of Ferrari. I said \u2018I\u2019ve got a seat\u2019 \u2013 but then we decided it would be misunderstood.\u201d To avoid it looking as though he had dumped Ferrari for Ford, Surtees went home instead.<\/p>\n

So come flag-fall it was especially satisfying for Mann to see Hill lead the field under the Dunlop Bridge, but he chuckles at the reason: \u201cGraham wrong-footed everyone. As 4pm approached he wasn\u2019t on his spot [for the run-and-jump start], just walking calmly up the grid. He got there just on 4pm, but everyone was watching him to see if he\u2019d make it, not watching the flag. He was the only one ready!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was soon pretty clear that the Fords had things under control, as the Shelby cars of Gurney\/Grant and\u00a0Ken Miles<\/a>\/Denny Hulme<\/a>\u00a0traded the lead with the P2\/3 Ferrari of\u00a0Richie Ginther<\/a>\/Pedro Rodriguez<\/a>. During the night\u00a0Ludovico Scarfiotti<\/a>\/Mike Parkes\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0P3 pushed through to the front as the MkIIs changed brakes, but when Scarfiotti crashed and the other Ferrari broke its transmission, the 7-litre Yanks steamed by 1-2-3-4 \u2013 three Shelbys and the\u00a0Ronnie Bucknum<\/a>\/Dick Hutcherson<\/a>\u00a0H&M. GT40s lay fifth and sixth, until dawn when those last two 289s retired.<\/p>\n

\n \"Chris\n
\n

The Ford GT40 MkIIs put on a bit of rallying for the fans at the end of the race<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

By now McLaren\/Amon had clawed back from a troubled start, as Chris recalls: \u201cWe were contracted to Firestone. Bruce came in after 30 minutes with chunked tyres, and then again 30 minutes later. The third time he put me in, saying he\u2019d sort it out. He brought me in, we put Goodyears on and he said, \u2018Let\u2019s go like hell! If it doesn\u2019t finish, it doesn\u2019t finish.\u2019 So we went for it \u2013 until the \u2018slow\u2019 orders came out.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the opposition sidelined the pace eased, but around 9am the leading Gurney\/Grant machine began to overheat, then retired. Grant explains: \u201cDan says he doesn\u2019t remember this, but this is what I remember. Near the end Fords were 1-2-3, us leading. Edsel wanted Dan to slow to close up, but he wouldn\u2019t, despite the signals. Eventually Edsel walked out with a wheelhammer to threaten him. Dan was so pissed off that he slowed right down, and that\u2019s when it overheated.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Dan, though, the cooling problem intervened long before the \u2018slow\u2019 orders came out.<\/p>\n

Miles now led McLaren, with the remaining H&M crew, Bucknum\/Hutcherson, third, but even 1-2-3 wasn\u2019t good enough: Ford wanted it line-astern, if not abreast. At the final pitstop, Miles was told to let McLaren close up\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cKen took it very badly; after all, he\u2019d had a better run than us. But there was no way Bruce was going to finish second. He said Ken backed off; well, maybe, or maybe it was that Bruce put on a little spurt\u2026\u201d<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe began to see \u2018slow down\u2019 signals,\u201d says Amon, \u201cbut Ken kept going and Bruce was pretty pissed off about that.\u201d As 4pm approached the three cars did close up \u2013 but across the line McLaren in car 2 was suddenly ahead. Ford had its victory against Ferrari, against French bureaucracy, and against racing\u2019s toughest 24 hours. But it wasn\u2019t over. There was no disputing which marque had won, but there was argy-bargy about which car \u2013 to the point that the victor was decided by exactly where on the grid each car had started. It puzzled many, including Whitmore, who following early clutch failure, was back in England by race\u2019s end: \u201cI watched the finish on television, and to this day I\u2019ve never understood the full story of Ken Miles not taking the win.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, it wasn\u2019t the order at the line that mattered, but the positions at exactly 4pm, some way back round the circuit. As that could not be pinpointed exactly, the cars\u2019 theoretical positions were calculated using their positions and lap times at the completion of the penultimate lap. These, however, were both identical\u2026 and that is when the extra few metres down the grid that car 2 had started from came into play.<\/p>\n

\u201cKen took it very badly; after all, he\u2019d had a better run than us,\u201d says Amon. \u201cBut there was no way Bruce was going to finish second. He said Ken backed off; well, maybe, or maybe it was that Bruce put on a little spurt\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"Ford\n
\n

Powerhouse of chassis 1046 – seven litres of iron<\/p>\n

\n Motorsport Images\n <\/p>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n

\u201cMorally, Ken and Denny should have had it,\u201d says Mann, \u201cbut Ken wasn\u2019t a team player \u2013 his driver discipline wasn\u2019t strong\u201d. Dan Gurney disapproves, too: \u201cIn my opinion it deprived Ken Miles of a well-deserved win. It was a PR strategy that did not pan out due to some creative rule interpretation after the fact\u201d.<\/p>\n

Of the five privateer GT40s (the one Thompson hit did not start), all retired: one crash and four breakages. Which either proves Ford was right to back the 427s, or that FAV was right in complaining that Ford didn\u2019t try to solve the 289\u2019s gasket problems quickly enough.<\/p>\n

Horsman is firm: \u201cDespite the \u2018reasons for retirement\u2019 listed in various publications, it is my recollection that most were due to head gasket failures. Ford did manufacture greatly improved engine parts for the 289, but did not deliver them to us until after Le Mans! We received 50 sets of really good engine components in July 1966, which gave us the basis to go racing with Gulf Oil the following year, and to provide the private owners with good equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was important: when Ford\u2019s MkIV (n\u00e9e J-car) brought it a truly all-American victory in 1967, and a 5-litre limit arrived, mainly to kybosh the Americans, the Blue Oval stopped its Le Mans programme \u2013 but Wyer\u2019s Gulf GT40s would score two more wins for it in \u201968 and \u201969.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was brave to tackle Le Mans \u2013 even to get through scrutineering with the famously just and unprejudiced French!\u201d says Gardner. \u201cStill, to take on and beat Ferrari in the field it had dominated was a remarkable achievement \u2013 coupled with a bit of luck!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was certainly lucky for Amon: \u201cIt got Ferrari interested in me. Looking back, it was probably my most significant race win. And I was only 22!\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":750,"featured_media":640026,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"tags":[35979,167,38708,34916,34399,169,34145,35042,34646,39292,9708,539,34122,35955,34235,47128,39263,34401,35844,34641,35980,34986,36307,73033,36450,34643,115502,35055,249,55434,213],"issue_decade":[121591],"issue_year":[121636],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_content\/21444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_content"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/issue_content"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/750"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21444"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_content\/21444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":640028,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_content\/21444\/revisions\/640028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21444"},{"taxonomy":"issue_decade","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_decade?post=21444"},{"taxonomy":"issue_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motorsportmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue_year?post=21444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}