Ford GT40 race car had one purpose: Slay Ferrari

When Ford set out to re-create the GT40 of the 1960s, the company spared no expense. The industry's best were brought in to design and engineer this rolling piece of eye candy to be as quick and fast as it was beautiful. The midengined car emerged on the 2002 auto-show circuit. Jaws dropped, eyes widened and purse strings loosened. Used examples still sell for $150,000.

The production run of the modern Ford GT is now finished, of course, and why Ford would attempt to reincarnate the legendary 1960s race car is easy to understand. First, its timeless shape is nothing short of gorgeous. Then there's the list of names associated with the development of the original GT40 project: Lee Iacocca, Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt to name a few.

Finally, the story of the GT40 is one of ultimate victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (a prestigious endurance race held in France) over its arch-nemesis, Ferrari. To get the car into the winner's circle took tens of millions of dollars in Ford money. It was also paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of dozens of engineers, designers and suppliers, not to mention the lives of two drivers who died trying to get the GT40 into race-worthy condition.

The car's creation really began in 1963.

Ferrari had been beating the pants off every other car company in the international Grand Touring (GT) race series (with events held all over the world, including North America), and had enjoyed great sales success and prestige as a result.

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em, seemed to be Iacocca's (who was Ford's general manager) motto ... and he would get his chance.

Enzo Ferrari approached Ford with an offer to sell his company. However, the negotiations fell through, Ferrari pulled out and Iacocca was more determined than ever to beat the Italians at their own game -- on the track.

Iacocca convinced his boss, Henry Ford II, to fund a serious attempt to build the best cars and hire the most capable people to build a world-class team ­ -- and win Le Mans.

With the assistance of Carroll Shelby, a former GT-class racer and creator (with Ford's help) of the Cobra sports car, plus a number of other key players, the project was launched. As a starting point, they adopted the Lola GT, a midengined car developed in England and powered by a small Ford Fairlane-based V-8.

By the spring of 1964, a completed Ford GT40 Mark I (the name refers to its 40-inch height) was ready for its first race at the torturous 14.2-mile Nürburgring track in Germany. Unfortunately, the car proved no match for the competing Ferrari 275P, and the Mark I retired with mechanical problems after just a few laps.

Ford entered three GT40s at Le Mans shortly after, but all succumbed to gearbox failure and Ferrari wound up with its fifth consecutive victory at the 24-hour event.

The car was entered in another long-distance race at Rheims, France, but the result was the same. After its first frustrating year of competition, the GT40 had yet to finish, much less win a race.

The following season, the Carroll Shelby-run Ford team won for the first time at the series opener at the Daytona Speedway. The remainder of the races, including Le Mans, would prove disappointing, with mechanical maladies sidelining the team.

The third year would prove to be a charm.

In 1966, six cars were readied for Le Mans. These were the new Mark II GT40s, fitted with NASCAR-style 427-cubic-inch V-8s. By the end of the long, grueling marathon, three Fords crossed the finish line almost simultaneously (a staged ending). Victory did not come without pain, as driver Walt Hansgen died as a result of crash in practice.

The Ford team returned to endurance racing in 1967 with a brand new 500-horsepower GT40, known simply as the Mark IV (a few Mark IIIs were produced solely for the street). Developed during the off-season (another team member, Ken Miles, was killed in a crash while testing the car), the Mark IV, driven by Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti, scored its initial victory at Sebring, Fla. This was followed by a spectacular first-place finish at Le Mans, with co-drivers Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt winning by the greatest margin in the history of the race.

Following the '67 season, Ford ended its expensive endurance racing program. However, Gulf Oil-sponsored Mark I cars with their smaller 289-cubic-inch engines would take the checkered flag at Le Mans for the next two years, further enhancing the GT40's luster.

More than 30 years after its retirement from competition, a modern-day Ford GT40, with a 550-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 perched behind the front seats is a fitting reminder of past heroics and dedication to be the best.

Jeff Melnychuk is Wheelbase Communications' managing editor. You can drop him a note online at www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html. Wheelbase is a world-wide supplier of automobile news, reviews and features.