Ford’s GT40 race car became an instant legend thanks to its great success in endurance racing, famously beating rivals Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours Of Le Mans before going on to win the next three years of the event in 1967, 1968 and 1969 although with different versions of the GT40.
By the 1970s, the GT40 became outdated and was eventually retired from racing. Ford themselves had more or less stopped their involvement in endurance racing by then as well, so the GT40 would become a part of Ford’s racing heritage.
Because only a handful of GT40 race cars were built and the amount of interest that collectors and enthusiasts had for the GT40 thanks to its legendary status and racing heritage, many kit makers and other builders would go on to make replicas (many being road legal) of the GT40. Some of these GT40 replicas can been seen at car events and even on the road.
Ford themselves acknowledge the great heritage of the GT40 and in the decades after the original GT40, Ford built two generations of road cars that would continue the legacy of their legendary race car. The first of these cars was the 2005 GT which was produced from 2005 to 2006. The 2005 GT was also powered by a V8 engine much like the GT40 and it also looked quite similar.
The second generation of the Ford GT road car was produced from 2017 to 2022. The 2017 model of the GT looked a lot more modern with a different aerodynamic shape and is powered by a Ford EcoBoost V6 engine unlike the previous 2005 model. However, the 2017 model had more livery tributes to previous GT40 winners compared to the 2005 model which mainly focused on the Gulf Livery with the Heritage Edition. Ford even made two special editions in the 2017 GT with the Mk II and Mk IV, both exclusively created for the track.
With the 60th anniversary of Ford’s first Le Mans Victory coming in 2026, I look forward to see what Ford will do to celebrate this occasion and I won’t be surprised if involves them bringing something special for it.
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