By Isabel Clark
What began as a failed business partnership became one of motorsports most famous rivalries.
In 1966, Ford ended Ferrari’s dominance at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, claiming a historic victory. But the battle between the American automotive giant and the Italian manufacturer had started years earlier in a boardroom rather than on a racetrack.
The feud started in 1963, when Ford was searching for a way to revitalise its image. Facing declining sales and the struggle to connect with younger buyers, the company sought to establish itself in the high-performance sports car market.
Rather than building a sports car programme from scratch, Ford chairman Henry Ford II looked to buy an already established manufacturer. Ferrari, despite its success on the racetrack, was experiencing financial difficulties and appeared to be the ideal candidate.
Negotiations progressed rapidly and, by the spring of 1963, a deal seemed close. However, a clause in the proposed agreement would have required Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari to surrender control of his racing operation. For Ferrari, who deemed his legacy being motorsport, this condition was unacceptable.
At the last moment Ferrari pulled out of the deal. However, Ferrari later sold a controlling stake in the company to Italian manufacturer Fiat. Ford’s response was clear: if it could not buy Ferrari, it would beat Ferrari.
The target was obvious. Ferrari had dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans throughout the early 1960s, winning five of the previous six editions of the famous endurance race. In 1963, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini had driven the Ferrari 250P to victory by a commanding 16-lap margin around the 8.364-mile Circuit de la Sarthe.
Determined to end the reign of the red car, Ford launched an ambitious programme to develop a car capable of winning Le Mans. Work began on the GT40 in 1963, with assistance from British manufacturer Lola Cars, its founder Eric Broadley, and Aston Martin’s John Wyer.
Ford’s GT40 made its public debut in April 1964 and arrived at Le Mans just 11 weeks later. Powered by an Indianapolis-spec 4.7 litre engine from a Ford Fairline, they started the 24-hour race. With a gearbox issue failure 14 hours in, despite having been the best runner, they did not finish.
Ford returned in 1965 but suffered another disappointing retirement. In response, the company recruited legendary American racer and constructor Carroll Shelby to lead development. Collaborating with British driver and test specialist Ken Miles, Shelby transformed the GT40 programme ahead of the 1966 season.
The result was the GT40 Mk II.
Powered by a 7.0-litre V8 engine and equipped with a strengthened four-speed transmission capable of managing the demands of the Mulsanne Straight, the Mk II was built specifically to conquer Le Mans. Extensive testing improved both reliability and performance, allowing the cars to exceed 200mph on the circuit’s longest section.
Confidence was high following victories at both the Daytona 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Sebring, with Ken Miles playing a significant role in Ford’s success.
At Le Mans, Ford’s pace was immediately apparent. During practice, Dan Gurney set a lap time of 3 minutes 30.6 seconds, more than three seconds faster than Ferrari’s quickest efforts.
When the race began on Saturday afternoon, Ford quickly established control. By halfway, the blue GT40s occupied the top six positions, with Ferrari struggling to respond. Mechanical failures for four Fords in the second half of the race, left three GT40s in contention as the race entered its final hours. With victory assured, Ford executives saw an opportunity for a historic publicity photograph and instructed race leader Ken Miles to slow down so the remaining cars could finish together.
The Number 1 car driven by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme’s and the Number 2 car of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon crossed the finish line taking the chequered flag side by side. The staged finish had an unexpected consequence. Although Miles appeared to edge ahead at the line, race officials awarded victory to McLaren and Amon. Because their car had started further back on the grid, it had covered a slightly greater distance over the 24 hours and was therefore classified as the winner.
The decision denied Miles what would have been an unprecedented “Triple Crown” of endurance racing victories in a single season, having already won Daytona and Sebring.
However, for Ford they still took a race win regardless.
The company had achieved its objective. Three years after a failed takeover bid sparked the rivalry, Ford had defeated Ferrari on the world’s biggest endurance racing stage. More remarkably, it had done so with a car powered by an engine derived from one of its road-going models.
The victory marked the beginning of a new era at Le Mans and cemented the Ford-Ferrari rivalry as one of the greatest stories in motorsport history.
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