1966 Ford GT40

The GT40 was launched in 1964 by Ford with the declared aim of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It first raced in May ’64 at the Nürburgring 1000 km. Ford’s chief engineer, Roy Lunn, came up with the idea of a two-seater sport car with a low-slung, shark-like body and a powerful V-8 engine located between the axles. The body is 156 inches long and 40 inches high, that’s why it’s called GT40. It was one of the first prototype sports cars to fully benefit from a mid-engine design, most notably a smooth aerodynamic shape and great handling characteristics. After a series of initial setbacks and racing failures, the racing program was assigned to Carroll Shelby. With a newly developed and enhanced version of the car, called MKII, GT40 finally broke Ferrari's Le Mans streak in 1966 and went on to win the next three annual races. It is one of the most wanted 1960s sports cars and now also often protagonist of various concours d’elegance around the world.