Ford Gt

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford's iconic 1966 victory and get the detailed back story leading to that historic win--including the parts played by Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford II, and Carroll Shelby.

Starting in 1956 when Ford officially entered motor racing, this book takes the reader on a journey of how and why things happened the way they did. Who were the personalities behind the all the different Ford GT development programs, old and new.

35 years after winning at Le Mans, Ford have decided to put the limited edition GT into production. This book explores both the development and design of the GT, as well as the race history of the car that inspired it - the original GT40.

Henry Ford not only built one of the first cars, but he was also the first to use an assembly line! Through narrative nonfiction, informational sidebars, Fun Facts, and more readers will engage with the history and new features of the Ford GT like never before.

In the 1960's very little science and engineering had been applied to the art of motor racing. As a result, there was no general agreement about the best technical approach to generating speed on a road racing track. Each car maker viewed the problem through the lenses of their own history and capabilities. The cars on the starting grid demonstrated how varied these histories were. When Ford first assaulted Le Mans in 1964, the company followed a similarly casual approach by initially purchasing a race car design from the English firm Lola. This car's numerous shortcomings soon led Ford to apply its considerable engineering and developmental resources to the project, and the result was the one-two-three finish in 1966. First place finishes followed in 1967, 1968 and 1969. It is the fabulous victories by Ford in the 1960's that inspired the new 2005 Ford GT. Based on a concept car the new production car embodies the characteristic proportions and styling elements of the original GT. Under its skin, however, it has little in common with the original other than its mid-engine layout. The 2005 Ford GT must function as a street car, with a climate control system, moderate interior noise levels, a reasonable ride, and the ability to operate in extremes of hot and cold. The seven original SAE papers from the 1960's contained in this book provide a wonderful insight into the development of the original Ford GT, during what many consider to be the technically most interesting period of sports car racing. The 11 SAE papers about the new GT included in this volume explain how Ford engineers managed to meet numerous modern-day requirements while staying true to the sprit of the original.

Discover The Ford Motor Company And The Car Originally Designed To Beat The Italians At The 24 Hours Of Le Mans Endurance Race.

In the 1960s the Ford Motor Company decided to enter the arena of sports car racing and challenge the European manufacturers, specifically Ferrari, for supremacy. The result was the GT40, and by the mid-1960s the car was posting victories at the most prestigious sports car endurance racing events around the world. In this comprehensive history of Ford's GT40, Ronnie Spain describes the development of the marque and features chassis records and photos of each and every car built.

A definitive history of Ford's Ferrari-beating GT40 sports racing car.