Ford GT40
It's from 1964, before you were born.
- Iconic generation
- GT40 Mk II (1966)
- Origin
- USA / England (Ford Advanced Vehicles)
- Engine
- 7.0L (427 cu in) FE V8
- Power
- ~485 hp
- Top speed
- ~210 mph (Le Mans gearing)
- Height
- 40 inches tall
- Crowning win
- 1966 Le Mans 1-2-3
- Le Mans titles
- Four straight (1966–1969)
About
As of 2026, it's 62 years old.
The GT40 exists because Enzo Ferrari insulted Henry Ford II. Ford tried to buy Ferrari, got jilted at the last minute, and decided the appropriate response was to build a car specifically to humiliate Ferrari at Le Mans. Spite has rarely been this fast.
It's called the GT40 because it stood just 40 inches tall, low enough to walk over but with a 7.0-liter American V8 stuffed behind the driver. The early cars were terrifying and unreliable, but Carroll Shelby and a team of stubborn engineers sorted them out the hard way.
In 1966 it all paid off: Ford swept the podium at Le Mans with a 1-2-3 finish, the first overall win there by an American manufacturer, and ended Ferrari's reign. Then the GT40 did it again in 1967, 1968, and 1969 for good measure.
The GT40 is the ultimate underdog-turned-bully story, and Hollywood eventually told it in 'Ford v Ferrari.' Few cars carry this much swagger, mostly because few cars were literally built out of corporate revenge and then delivered on every bit of it.
Ford GT40 through the years
GT40 debuts
Ford's Ferrari-slaying prototype arrives fast, low, and frustratingly fragile.
Le Mans 1-2-3
The 7.0L Mk II sweeps the podium, the first American overall win at Le Mans.
Mk IV wins
An all-American car and crew win Le Mans again with the Mk IV.
Three-peat
The privateer Mk I notches a third straight Le Mans victory.
Four in a row
The same chassis wins Le Mans yet again by a few feet, capping the dynasty.
