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Also the competitors had to complain about failures, so that just these three Ford GT40 MK II were to be found at the front after 23 hours of race distance.
For tactical reasons, the Shelby-American Inc. team let the pilots in the two leading cars, number one and number two, believe they would cross the finish line together to avoid possible damage from duels. In the end, the number two Ford GT40, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, took the lead and went down in Le Mans history as the winner. Close behind were Ken Miles and Denis Hulme with starting number one. More than ten laps down, Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson secured third place in their #5 GT40, helping Ford to a historic one-two at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
A year after this memorable event, the company started the further development of the Ford GT40 MK II, the MK IV, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A new aluminum body, improved aerodynamics and a revised brake system helped Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt to position their Ford GT40 in first place during the race. As in the previous year, an exciting battle developed between Ford and Ferrari over the 24-Hour race distance, which the Shelby-American Inc. team was able to win once again.
Exactly 50 years to the day after the unforgotten triple podium, Ford tried the debut of the new GT mid-engine car in the GTE-class. The second generation of the racing car classic also met the well-known competition from Ferrari in 2016. The number 68 car used by the Chip Ganassi team was driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and local hero Sébastien Bourdais. The racing car with the Ford-typical 3.5-liter Eco-Boost V6 turbo engine quickly and clearly put the Ferrari in its place and was able to show an impressive lead record of 316 of the 340 laps driven, which ultimately meant class victory in Le Mans.
The sister car with starting number 69 was driven by Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Scott Dixon in third place in the GTE-class. After the race, the whole engine of the vehicle was disassembled, analyzed and stored at Ford. In 2022, the material of the crankshaft found a new use in the last special model of the Ford GT, before production of the series car was finally stopped. The powder from the ground crankshaft served as the raw material for the 3D-printed model plaque in the interior of the vehicle. A real piece of Le Mans history is emblazoned in each example of the special edition Ford GT LM Edition, which is limited to 20 vehicles and takes up the red and blue design elements of the winning car from 2016.
A year after Ford's renewed triumph at Le Mans, the successful trio of Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and Sébastien Bourdais also won the GTLM-class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Le Mans winners, now equipped with starting number 66, were manually steered to pole in qualifying and relegated the sister car to second place. An exciting race with many position changes brought up the traditional fight against Ferrari, which Ford was able to win again and thus secure the class victory.
In 2019, Ford presented its GTs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in three historic designs that, among other things, commemorated the triple victory in 1966. The racing cars entered by Ford Chip Ganassi with starting numbers 66, 67 and 69 brought the successful history of Ford motorsport back to Le Mans. The design of the #66 GT driven by Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson was based on the 1966 winner. In the end, despite the winning colors, it was only enough for sixth place in the GTE class. The car with starting number 69, driven by Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Richard Westbrook, made it to fifth place and was emblazoned in light blue and orange as a tribute to the runner-up in 1966. The red and white GT with the starting number 67, which was based on the design of the winning car from 1967. Unlike in previous years, Harry Tincknell, Andy Priaulx and Jonathan Bomarito had to admit defeat to the Ferrari and Porsche teams.
The victory-vehicles from the 60s and the GTs from the modern times are available from the manufacturers Shelby Collectibles and Ixo in the well-known high quality and with true-to-detail design in scale 1:18. More than half a century of motorsport history for the collector's shelf.
Ford GT40 MK II #2 Winner 24h LeMans 1966 McLaren, Amon 1:18 ShelbyCollectibles, UVP 69,95 €, item-no.: Shelby408
Ford GT40 MK II #1 2nd 24h LeMans 1966 Miles, Hulme 1:18 ShelbyCollectibles, RRP 69,95 €, item-no.: Shelby411
Ford GT40 MK IV #1 Winner 24h LeMans 1967 Gurney, Foyt 1:18 ShelbyCollectibles, RRP 69,95 €, item-no.: Shelby423
Ford GT #68 Winner LMGTE Pro Class 24h LeMans 2016 Hand, Müller, Bourdais 1:18 Ixo, RRP 79,95 €, item-no.: IXOSP-FGT18106
Ford GT #66 Winner GTLM-Klasse 24h Daytona 2017 Müller, Hand, Bourdais 1:18 Ixo, RRP 79,95 €, item-no.: IXOSP-FGT18110
Ford GT #66 24h LeMans 2019 Mücke, Pla, Johnson 1:18 Ixo, RRP 79,95€, item-no.: IXOSP-FGT18105
Ford GT #67 24h LeMans 2019 Tincknell, Priaulx, Bomarito 1:18 Ixo, RRP 79,95 €, item-no.: SP-FGT18104
Ford GT #69 24h LeMans 2019 Briscoe, Westbrook, Dixon 1:18 Ixo, RRP 79,95 €, item-no.: IXOSP-FGT18103
[27.12.2022] A sports coupe and an upper class limousine from Bavaria as icon of the 80s 
[19.12.2022] A great moment in German rallying – the 1972 Olympic Rally on the occasion of the Summer Olympics in Munich
