Ford vs Ferrari: 60 years on
- Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
- Jun 13
- 8 min read
How it all started
Ferrari was a dominant force in endurance racing back in the early 1960s. However, behind the scenes, the Italian outfit was facing financial difficulties. Founder Enzo Ferrari was searching for a way to sell his namesake marque.
That caught the eye of a certain American car manufacturer. However, realising the lack of freedom in the agreement, such as the requirement to seek Ford’s approval for any increase in spending, Ferrari bailed out at the last minute of the buyout deal.
Heading back to the United States empty-handed, Chief Executive Officer Henry Ford II realised this would be the perfect opportunity to seek vengeance on track.
Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans had been one of Ford’s biggest ambitions. With Ferrari boasting a winning streak of six consecutive Le Mans wins, Ford believed stripping the jewel in the crown away from the world’s oldest endurance race was a recipe for success.
The birth of the ‘Ferrari killer’
Leo Beebe, Ford’s racing director, was assigned to spearhead the entire project with the aim of winning Le Mans and potentially other major endurance races such as Sebring and Daytona.
The project started almost immediately, with heavy financial and engineering investment going into developing the Ford GT40. Fuelled by revenge and determination, it took the team less than one year to bring the concept to life.
Corporate pride and passion led to the creation of the iconic Ford GT40. The number 40 referred to the height of the car, measured above the windscreen, which was only 40 inches (1.02m) tall.
It made its first appearance in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, its debut Race ended with retirement, while Ferrari took a comfortable 1-2-3 victory.
The disappointment was repeated the following year, as Ferrari extended its winning Le Mans streak to six.
Lola’s Eric Broadley was initially tasked with assisting the Ferrari-beater initiative. Unfortunately, after a series of failures and thinning patience, the project was handed over to Carroll Shelby to fix the car.
The former racing driver and founder of the automobile company Shelby American had tasted prior success beating Ferrari in the GT class with his own design, the Shelby Daytona Coupe, which made the Shelby-Ford joint partnership more fitting.
Shelby’s long-time collaborator and renowned tester, Ken Miles, also entered the equation. Miles’ racing and engineering experience naturally assigned him as the lead developer and chief test driver of the GT40.
Together, they worked tirelessly searching for ways to improve the stability and reliability of the car, from adjusting aerodynamics to revamping the suspension.
Realising the project needed a revamp in its operational aspects, Shelby regrouped and realigned with racecar manufacturer Holman-Moody in the United States, alongside Alan Mann Racing in the United Kingdom. As a result, this led them to the design of the Mk II, a newer version of the Ford GT40.
"Mk", a short form for mark, refers to the generation of a model. In this case, the Ford GT40 Mk II was the second-generation version of the GT40.
Third time’s a charm at Le Mans
It was Ford’s third year in a row competing at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Clearly, neither manufacturer wanted to back down from a chance to win; Ford fielded 13 GT40s, while Ferrari brought 14 entries.
At the drop of the flag by honorary starter Henry Ford II, Ford’s cars swiftly pulled away from the rest of the grid. At the end of the first Lap, the majority of the Fords were leading the field.
Miles, meanwhile, had to pit at that time to fix his door. Bruce McLaren slowed down his Ford due to tyre issues, so the team had to change his rubber from Firestones to Goodyears.
After nine Laps, Jochen Rindt’s Ford engine blew up at the end of the Mulsanne straight, losing out on a second consecutive win. The Fords ended the first hour of the Race with a 1-2-3, leaving a 20-second gap to a fourth-placed Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Miles had been performing brilliantly, breaking the Lap record and rising up to fifth place. He went on to lead the field in the following hour. As it began to drizzle on track, the Race saw the Ferraris hold the upper hand, catching up to their American rivals.
Ford had to change brake pads earlier on, further delaying its Race. Heavy rain poured down as the grid approached the night, throwing a greater challenge into the mix for Ford.
Ferrari was defending its lead from multiple chasing Fords driven by Miles, McLaren, Dan Gurney, Lorenzo Bandini and rookie Mario Andretti. But Andretti was eventually sidelined with a wrecked head gasket, in addition to Phil Hill’s Ford suffering a broken suspension.
The Fords of Miles and Gurney luckily drove out of the reducing rain, snatching back the lead along the way. Another round of heavy downpour arrived hours later, which led to a massive accident in the Esses. Jean Guichet temporarily lost control of his Ferrari but escaped unscathed.
As the night progressed, the Ferraris faced overheating issues. Two Ferraris retired as a result, leaving no privateers to continue the battle. Halfway through the Race, the Ford GT40s occupied the first six places. The closest Ferrari was Guichet in 12th.
Ford then instructed its cars to reduce to four-minute Laps, but Miles and Gurney went against the orders and raced harder for the lead.
Spilt oil during a pit stop the next morning began to spoil Ford’s second half of the Race. Dieter Spoerry lost traction and spun at the Esses, damaging his Ford. Ford later discovered that two of its cars had retired due to engine issues during the night.
The next retirement came from the Race-leading Gurney and Grant car; when the machine broke its head gasket, it was the last Mk II to retire.
With only three Mk IIs left, they raced harder to prevent two Ferraris, which were in ninth and 10th, from leading the final hours of the Race. With six hours left, it was clear that these remaining Fords were the favourites to win.
Ford then orchestrated a publicity plan to ensure all three cars appeared together in a photo as they cruised to the finish line, permanently etching their historic first win into Le Mans history.
Three hours later, during the final pit stop, Miles was told to slow down and allow McLaren to catch up for a dead-heat finish, which, of course, was to the dismay of Miles and his team, but they reluctantly agreed.
The No.2 Ford and a third-placed Ford drew up as they raced to the finish line together. Miles and McLaren crossed at the same time, which undoubtedly led to a further investigation via official track data and photos.
McLaren’s No.2 Ford was six metres ahead when reaching the line. Prior to this, it had started just over 14 metres behind Miles’s No.1, covering more distance. As per official rules regarding cars finishing together in a tie, the winner shall be decided by their starting position, which naturally handed the win to McLaren.
Meanwhile, Ford was unaware of this rule. The executives were under the impression that Miles was the winner. Though it was a joyous occasion all around, Shelby lamented the rule and felt guilty about the outcome for Miles.
Overall, the intense battle left three of the 13 Fords surviving, and two out of 14 Ferraris.
While the victory boosted Ford’s image, it came at a devastating cost. Ken Miles, who played a crucial role in the GT40 programme, lost his first Le Mans title. He was just metres away from achieving the Triple Crown of endurance racing, having won Daytona and Sebring previously.
Why the continental divide became iconic
The competition between two of the oldest car brands in the world, with contrasting automotive cultures, was unlike any other. While rivalries are normally built from past racing records as well as on-track performances and battles, this rivalry stemmed from a failed business deal.
European sports cars were viewed as unbeatable, sophisticated machines, while American ones were stereotyped as large and clunky, which left people wondering if they were fast and reliable enough to survive, much less win a 24-hour endurance Race.
But Ford crushed those doubts. Not only did it end Ferrari’s six-year winning streak, it was the first win for an American manufacturer in a major European Race since Jimmy Murphy with Duesenberg at the 1921 French Grand Prix.
The American outfit even set a record for the closest finish in the history of the French endurance classic. There were only 20 metres separating the No.1 and No.2 Fords at the finish line.
The No.1 Ford started in second place, while the No.2 was two places behind, with a starting difference of over 14 metres. When added to the six metres at the finish line, it totals over 20 metres.
Though controversial, Ford’s choreographed photo finish is solid evidence of why any underdog can be just as capable of toppling automotive giants in the form of Ferrari.
The 1-2-3 finish was a total reverse of fortune for Ford, having been previously denied the exact result by Ferrari twice in a row. It was all the more satisfying an outcome for the Blue Oval.
As the Ford vs Ferrari war shifted to its climactic stage, they went on to rematch with their respective designs of later marks and 330 P4s, continuing their battles in the next major endurance events, such as the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, in which Ford emerged victorious again. The Ford GT40 also picked up more victories in the next three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The transatlantic rivalry ended with new regulations in 1968, which banned large-capacity engines like those installed in Ferrari’s P4s and Ford’s Mk IVs, preventing them from competing in the Sports Prototype class due to a three-litre engine capacity limit.
Why people still revisit it six decades later
The critically acclaimed 2019 film Ford v Ferrari (or Le Mans '66 in some countries) has also put one of motorsport’s biggest rivalries back into the spotlight. With the movie providing a glimpse of the rivalry leading up to the Le Mans win, the popularity of the film sparked conversations across both older and newer generations.
Just as it was in reality, Shelby and Miles’ contributions to the success didn't go unnoticed. Miles, however, faced a tragic end to his career and life. Two months after the 1966 Race, he died while testing the next-generation Ford GT40 "J-car" — the same chassis development that helped Ford secure its second Le Mans win in 1967.
Taking part in the project out of a love for racing more than personal achievements, in addition to his mechanical genius, remains an inspiration to many to this day.
It wasn’t an overnight success, as the team could only see the fruits of its labour three years after its debut. From two years of ending its Race prematurely to a clean podium sweep was nothing short of admirable.
A relentless pursuit of excellence is definitely something to look up to. But in this case, being rushed and disorganised hindered their early progress, hence the embarrassing blows in the early years at Le Mans.
Shelby’s leadership in this project proved that with the right strategy and people (recruiting Miles, for example), the impossible becomes possible. And it took off tremendously.
With high-level performance, sleek aerodynamics and striking presence, any petrolhead would rank the Ford GT40 highly on the list of most beloved designs in automotive history.
Even though it went through different waves of regulations over the years, the Ford GT40 set new standards for modern endurance racing. The prototype illustrates that winning endurance championships is made possible with a lightweight, fast, remarkable exterior design and safety-compliant machinery.
As Ford will make its Hypercar debut in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027, fans can anticipate the revival of the rivalry on track, especially at La Sarthe.
While it is unlikely that fans and teams will witness the Blue Oval break the Prancing Horse’s winning streak so soon after its comeback, will the American marque return to the top step of the podium sometime in the future? Only time will tell.
Edited by Pranav Sharma
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