It's the 1960's, and Ferrari owns Le Mans, having won the 24-hour long race for the past decade. From 1957 to 1967, Ferrari won every single year in some way, shape or form — whether that form be overall victories, or privateer podium finishes. Enzo Ferrari's cars aren't just winning; they're dominating. His red racers are so far ahead of the competition, they might as well be competing in a different sport. In fact, and you might or might not know this, but Enzo Ferrari allegedly quipped that the Ferrari road production was just a way to finance the Ferrari racing program. So I guess, every Ferrari ever is an omologato? (That's the pizza word for homologation, or being legally required to make road versions of racecars to meet race entry criteria). Anyway, the true dominance began in 1958, when Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien powered their Ferrari 250 TR58 to victory, marking the beginning of a red reign that would last six consecutive years. Each victory was more dominant than the last. The 1961 race saw Hill and Gendebien return in the 250 TRI/61, completing 333 laps - a record that stood for years. Ferrari's machines weren't just winning; they were redefining what was possible at Circuit de la Sarthe. By 1963, with drivers like John Surtees and Ludovico Scarfiotti in the 250 P, Ferrari had turned Le Mans into their personal playground. Their closest competitors were typically several laps behind, which was a familiar sight in the '23 F1 season. The prancing horse was more than galloping, it was sprinting, "neigh", steamrolling the competition. The Deal That Kickstarted It All However, let me take you back to the early 60's now, to a deal that sparked a war. Like I said, Ferrari is winning races and fast becoming the de facto supercar king. Meanwhile, in Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford II is getting restless. Ford's image is about as exciting as a cheese sandwich, and he knows it. Henry Ford 2 (Right). Image Credits: Road & Track, available at [link] So, he hatches a plan: buy Ferrari. Simple enough when you're running one of the world's largest car companies. Enter Henry Ford II, with a check for $16 million - equivalent to about $140 million today. His initial approach seemed perfect. They'd done their homework: Ferrari was bleeding cash from their racing program, Enzo was getting older, and Ford's offer would have secured the future of both companies. The negotiations, led by Don Frey and Roy Lunn, progressed smoothly through early 1963. Legal teams drafted contracts, accountants crunched numbers, and everything seemed set. Then came the detail that made Enzo's blood boil: Ford would control the racing budget. The story goes that Ferrari erupted, switching from perfect English to rapid-fire Italian, calling Ford's executives everything but gentlemen. And just like that, he walks away from the deal, allegedly telling Ford where they could stick their money. In slightly more colourful Italian, I imagine. Lee Iacocca, then a rising star at Ford, later recalled Enzo's parting words: "Figure out how to win Le Mans on your own." Henry Ford II's response? A simple directive that would cost millions: "Build me a Ferrari-beater." The Birth of the GT40 Now, Henry Ford II is livid. And when the grandson of Henry Ford gets angry, things happen. Big things. Like spending ungodly amounts of money to build a car specifically designed to humiliate Ferrari at their own game. This is where Carroll Shelby comes in, the Texan who'd already proved he could beat Ferrari with the Cobra. Ford hands him a blank check and essentially says, "Build me a car that will make Ferrari cry." And thus begins one of the most expensive revenge missions in automotive history. John Wyer, freshly poached from Aston Martin, brought racing expertise. Carroll Shelby, already a Ferrari-killer with his Cobras, brought American muscle know-how. The result was the GT40. A car so low it was only 40 inches tall (hence the name), and so purposeful it made other race cars look like they weren't really trying. But the path to the Ford GT Le Mans victory wasn't exactly smooth. Initial Hiccups: Losses in ‘64 and ‘65 The GT40's development was a masterclass in throwing money at a problem until it went away. Roy Lunn, the project's chief engineer, started with the Lola Mk6 as a base. Early testing at Goodwood in April 1964 revealed the car was fast but terrifyingly unstable at high speeds. The first GT40s featured a 4.7-liter V8 pushing out 350 horsepower. Impressive numbers, but reliability was nonexistent. Image Credits: Supercar Nostalgia, available at [link] The 1964 Le Mans attempt was a catastrophe. All three cars retired - one to a fire, two to mechanical failures. 1965 wasn't much better. The cars were hitting 200 mph on the Mulsanne Straight but couldn't maintain that pace for 24 hours. The cars were fast - bloody fast - but they kept breaking. Ferrari won. Again. And Henry Ford II was not amused. The team of engineers and drivers at the GT40 project retired to Dearborn to burn the midnight petrol and come up with improvements. And improvements they made. Image Credits: New Atlas, available at [link] 1966: Ferrari gets dunked on If 1964 and '65 were disasters, 1966 was nuclear revenge. Ford arrived at Le Mans with not just a car, but an armada. They'd learned from their mistakes, refined the GT40, and brought enough spares to build several new cars from scratch. The Americans had arrived at Le Mans with not three, not four, but EIGHT GT40 Mk IIs. Each packed a mammoth 7.0-liter NASCAR-derived V8 producing 485 horsepower. That's a lot of GT40's. Image Credits: Racing Vintage Cars, available at [link] The message to Ferrari was clear: "We're not here to race - we're here to humiliate you." Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren drove chassis P/1046. Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant took P/1047. But the fastest combination was Ken Miles and Denis Hulme in P/1015. The qualifying sessions were a bloodbath - the GT40s were four seconds per lap quicker than the best Ferrari. The race itself? Pure chaos. Ferrari's new 330 P3s showed early pace but started dropping like flies. The 330 P3's. Image Credits: Ferrari, available at [link] By hour six, it was becoming clear - this wasn't a race, it was an execution. The GT40s were running 1-2-3, with Miles leading. Then came the controversy. Ford's PR department, seeing a photo opportunity, ordered Miles to slow down for a three-wide finish. Miles, who had led most of the race and deserved the win, was crushed. McLaren and Amon technically crossed first due to starting further back on the grid. Miles, who had won Daytona and Sebring that year, missed his chance at the triple crown. The final lap times tell the story: McLaren/Amon completed 360 laps at an average speed of 201.795 km/h. Miles/Hulme finished inches behind. This is the scene referred to in the movie, "Ford Vs. Ferrari" with the iconic 1-2-3 finish of the MK IIs. The best Ferrari? Eighth place, 15 laps down. Henry Ford II's revenge was complete. Vroom Vroom, said team Ford. Image Credits: Goodwood, available at [link] Continuing the Ford domination: ‘67, ‘68, and ‘69 But Ford wasn't done. The Ford GT Le Mans victory parade continued in 1967, 1968, and 1969. Four straight years of American V8s showing Ferrari's prancing horses exactly what American engineering could do when properly motivated by revenge. If '66 was revenge, '67 was showing off. The Mk IV GT40, with its all-American chassis (the previous cars used British chassis), was even faster. Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt destroyed the field, setting a distance record that stood for decades: 5,232.9 kilometres at an average speed of 218 km/h. Gurney was so excited after winning he started spraying champagne on the podium - creating a motorsport tradition that continues today. The best Ferrari finished... well, it doesn't matter where Ferrari finished. They weren't even in the same zip code. 1968 and '69 saw the Gulf-liveried Mk I GT40s continue the dominance. The beautiful blue and orange cars, driven by Pedro Rodriguez, Lucien Bianchi, and Jacky Ickx, proved that even the "old" GT40 was still better than anything Ferrari could muster. Ickx's 1969 victory was particularly sweet - he protested the traditional Le Mans start by walking to his car and carefully buckling his seatbelt while others ran and jumped in. He still won, proving that slow and steady... ah, who am I kidding, the GT40 was just vastly superior. Still won. Image Credits: RSF Motorsport on X, available at [link] After 1969: Ferrari’s Le Mans Dominance Ended - Forever The aftermath? Ferrari never won Le Mans overall again. They'd go on to dominate Formula 1, of course, but the Ford GT Le Mans victory had broken their stranglehold on endurance racing. Enzo Ferrari, who'd been so dismissive of Ford's efforts, had to watch as his beloved Le Mans trophy resided in Dearborn for four straight years. Fast forward to 2016. Ford returns with the new GT, a car that looks like a UFO had relations with the original GT40. Chip Ganassi Racing prepped four cars for the GTE Pro class. The goal? Win Le Mans exactly 50 years after the original triumph. Image Credits: Ford Performance Media. Available at [link] The new GT packed a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 647 horsepower - a far cry from the original's NASCAR V8, but this was a different era. Drivers Joey Hand, Dirk Müller, and Sébastien Bourdais took the class win after a brutal battle with - guess who? - Ferrari's 488 GTE. The stats were impressive: 340 laps completed at an average speed of 179.333 km/h. But more importantly, Ford had done it again. Different century, same result: Ferrari watching the blue oval celebrate at Le Mans. Today, the Ford GT stands as perhaps the greatest example of what happens when unlimited resources meet unlimited determination. And that’s because the Ford GT Le Mans victory wasn't just about winning a race; it was about proving a point. It was about showing that sometimes, the best motivation isn't money, or glory, or even sporting achievement. Sometimes, the best motivation is good old-fashioned revenge. The 2016 Ford that Won Le Mans (Again) versus Ferrari. Image Credits: Ford Media. Available at [link] Ford GT’s today The modern Ford GT, still in production today, carries that legacy in every line, every curve, every carbon fibre panel. It's a road car that exists because of a race car that existed because an Italian made an American angry. And while Ferrari and Ford have both moved on - Ferrari's worth billions and Ford's busy making electric Mustangs - the story of the Ford GT Le Mans victory remains one of the greatest tales in motorsport history. It's a reminder that in racing, as in life, you should never, ever make a billionaire angry. Especially not one with a car company and a point to prove. And that, really, is what makes the Ford GT Le Mans victory so special. It wasn't just about building a faster car. It was about showing that with enough determination, enough resources, and enough spite, anything is possible. Even beating Ferrari at their own game. The GT40 program cost Ford an estimated $25 million (about $200 million today). Excessive? Maybe. Worth it? Just ask any Ferrari executive who had to explain to Enzo why they kept getting embarrassed by a "crude American hot rod." The modern Ford GT continues the legacy. Each one costs around $500,000, has a two-year waiting list, and requires potential buyers to apply like they're joining an exclusive club. Which, in a way, they are. From 1966 to 1969, and again in 2016, Ford proved that with enough money, engineering talent, and pure spite, anything is possible. Even making Ferrari look slow at Le Mans. And that, as they say in Dearborn, is how you serve revenge - at 200 miles per hour.
