Ford's GT40 landmark racecar is set to be celebrated at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance's season-opening event March 10.
The GT40's story is significant, highlighted by a cast of heavy hitters such as Henry Ford II, Enzo Ferrari and Carroll Shelby. In the weeks leading up to its celebration at Amelia Island, we'll be looking back at the past 50 years of the GT40.
Its genesis can be traced back to 1963, when Henry Ford II set out to establish the Blue Oval as a leader in racing. He felt that to achieve that title, a Ford vehicle would have to win a true engineering test -- 24 Hours of Le Mans. Adopting an “if you can't beat 'em, join 'em” tactic, he attempted to buy Ferrari outright.
However, Enzo Ferrari dropped the deal at the last minute. A rivalry was born.
Ford instead partnered with Lola Cars, and the Ford GT40 made its racing debut at the 1964 1,000 km of Nürburgring as the Lola Ford coupe. It only made it to the 16th lap. Nevertheless, the GT40 had made itself known to the world.
Flip through our coverage of the 1964 race below (see page 1), and check back for our 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance coverage.
The Ford GT40 will be celebrated at the 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance's season-opening event March 10. Because of its focus on vintage high-performance machines, Amelia Island is known as the “racers' concours,” so we're looking back at some of the GT40's best racing moments ahead of the event.
