Ford – GT40 (1968)

Henry Ford II had achieved his goal with the GT40. He wanted to send a car bearing his name to line up at the start of the Le Mans race and win it. This Ford GT40 with chassis number 1075 also played a role. The car received its name because the height of the roof was only 40 inches. Its racing career started in February 1968 at the 24 Hours in Daytona (USA), although the speedster had to abandon the race because of a defective gearbox. A few months later, Pedro Rodríguez and Lucien Bianchi enjoyed a lot more success when they actually won Le Mans, achieving an impressive victory with a lead of five laps. In the following winter, the car was given the unforget- table design of sponsor Gulf Oil Company, before lining up on the starting grid in Le Mans for a second time on 14th June 1969. Initially, spectators were astounded because Jacky Ickx declined to sprint to the car at the start and strolled up to his GT40 in a leisurely fashion. However, he alternated in the cockpit with Jackie Oliver, kept his nerve and maintained a narrow lead in a dramatic duel with a Porsche 908 – once again first place! This meant it was the only racing car ever to cross the finishing line and achieve two overall victories at Le Mans. After six victories in eleven races, this GT40 brought its successful racing career to a close and since then has enriched private collections. The current owner took up stewardship back in 1993.