THE FORD GT40: REVENGE AT LE MANS

1966 · Ford · 7 min

How a botched Ferrari takeover turned into one of motorsport's greatest revenge stories.

THE DEAL

In the early 1960s, Ford nearly bought Ferrari. When negotiations collapsed at the last moment, Henry Ford II reportedly ordered his team to beat Ferrari at Le Mans — its home race.

THE MACHINE

The result was the GT40, a low-slung British-American collaboration. After failures in 1964 and 1965, it finally beat Ferrari in 1966 — and won Le Mans four years straight, 1966 to 1969.

THE LEGACY

The GT40's legend directly inspired Ford's 2005 GT and 2016 GT supercars, and the story became a celebrated film.

Timeline

  • 1963 — THE DEAL: Ferrari sale collapses.
  • 1966 — THE VICTORY: 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans.
  • 1969 — THE LEGACY: Four straight wins.