Today we
have the nice story for you from the Golden History of the Automobile. Sometime
our meetings results have the power to create the revolutionary inventions.
Today’s our story is about the arguments between the great automobile brands owners,
Ford and Ferrari. I am Talking about the Car which was built to defeat Ferrari
on Race Track and it really worked.
Henry Ford
II wanted to acquire Ferrari because of to gain prestige and a winning pedigree
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will improve the image of Ford in the
sports market.
Therefore,
In the year 1963, Ford Motor Company attempted to
purchase Ferrari for roughly $15-18 million to boost its racing
image. While initial talks were productive, Enzo Ferrari insisted on retaining
total control of the Scuderia
Ferrari (racing)
division. Ford, specifically executives tasked with the acquisition,
required full budgetary control over the racing team. Realizing he would lose
independence, Enzo halted the deal in May 1963, reportedly insulting Henry Ford
II in the process.
The
Consequences was the Furious,
Henry Ford II commanded his company to build a race car—the GT40— to
defeat Ferrari at Le Mans.
The failed
1963 deal is directly responsible for the development of the Ford GT40, which
went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966, ending Ferrari's six-year
winning streak.
Ford
GT40 was specifically designed and built in the 1960s to defeat Ferrari at
the 24 Hours of Le Mans, achieving this goal by winning four consecutive races
from 1966 to 1969. Developed by Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, the car utilized
a high-performance, large-displacement V8 engine to overcome Ferrari's
dominance in endurance racing.
Name GT40 is stands for "GT" signifies Grand Touring, and "40" represents its 40-inch height, a requirement for its racing class. Its height was the hot topic of discussion, on that time and got the popularity throughout the world.
On that time it achieved top speeds 218 mph / 350.8 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight, though
early models (1964-1965) suffered from severe brake and gearbox failures.
The Mk II
version featured a 7.0-liter V8 engine producing 485bhp and 475lb ft of torque.
Price:
Original 1960s Ford GT40s are exceptionally rare, with top-tier, historic
race-winning models selling for over $11 million to over $13
million USD at auction. Other original, road-going, or less-historic
models typically sell in the multimillion-dollar range, while high-quality
replicas and continuations average around $120,000–$400,000.
The reason
of its popularity and high value is due to only 105 original Ford GT40s being produced between
1964 and 1969.
Currently,
A 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II sold for $13,205,000 USD in February 2025. This
is the Fever of GT40 in the present time.
Hope
you like this story after reading it. You may also enjoy its video on our
Youtube channel “ Dwheels”.



















