What are the top 5 Ford GT40s?
The Ford GT40 was produced from 1964-1969.
And with only 105 produced, this makes the Ford GT40 a very rare find.
In this article, we will pay homage to the Ford GT40 and show our top 5 Ford GT40 that still exist to this day.
Best Ford GT40 Car
- 1965 Ford GT40 GT/108
- 1964 Ford GT40 GT/103
- 1966 Ford GT MK P/1046
- 1967 Ford GT MK IV Racing Coupe
- 1966 Ford GT MK III Street Coupe
1965 Ford GT40 GT/108 Roadster
The GT/108 Roadster was only one of four Roadsters ever built.
It used Ford’s famous steel chassis and the 289 cubic-inch V8 engine.
There were some differences with its exterior design, one being its nose and that the intakes were slightly higher at the rear.
At first glance, it seems as though this roadster was a hybrid between a track car and a road car but it can hold its own on the track.
It was used for testing and improving other prototypes.
It was a key contributor to racing success for Ford from 1966-1969.
This particular roadster is also the first prototype with all original parts, inside and out.
Due to its rarity, style, and contribution to the Ford GT40 line, this prototype has my number one spot.
1964 Ford GT40 GT/103
This has my number two spot because of its early significance in the direction of the Ford GT40 lineup.
This is one of the earliest known GT40 chassis in existence with the destruction of GT/101 and GT/102 prototype during testing.
It was originally stated that GT/101 and GT/102 were going to be used for the Le Mans race but with only a few weeks left and none of the original prototypes left, something had to be done.
GT/104 was built with what was left of GT/102 but was going into the Le Mans race with only 50 miles of testing.
On the fourth lap, there was an engine fire that took it out of the race. Salvageable but not a great look for the Ford GT40s…
Insert GT/103 but it had rear suspension issues, similar to those of the earlier prototypes.
How was this fixed?
By 1964, Carroll Shelby took over to help improve Ford’s racing cars
He addressed the rear suspension issues by replacing the dry-sump oil system and 75lbs of rear weight with a lighter magnesium design.
The development team also reworked the internal cooling system at the nose, reducing more weight and fixing the ducting system underneath the body.
But with modifications to the aerodynamics and with tweaks with the engine to increase endurance at higher speeds, the 1964 Ford GT40 GT/103 shined, achieving first place in the Daytona Continental Race on February 28th, 1965.
After a few more races in 1965, it was retired and sold privately.
1966 Ford GT40 MK II P/1046
Starting in 1966, Ford GT40s were identified using Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, and Mk IV. The number stands for the progression of the model.
This car is special.
It finished 1st place in the 1966 Le Mans 24hours endurance race, completing 359 laps (4,843,090 km) at an average of 210,795 km/hr.
It was retired shortly after.
After it was sold a few times and transferred ownership, it was later restored and raced again in 2016 Le Mans and got 1st place, returning to its former glory.
1967 Ford GT40 MK IV RACING COUPE
Mk IVs used a space age honeycomb aluminum tub for higher rigidity and lower weight.
This will help increase the efficiency and speed of the car during racing.
Six Ford GT40 MK IVs were completed in 1967.
This Ford GT40 in particular debuted at the Sebring track in April 1967 and won first place.
It was kept in the United States for testing at the Daytona before finding a place in storage. It was later sold to a private bidder in 1970.
1966 Ford GT40 MK III Street Coupe
Only seven GT MK IIIs were built and the original chassis color was blue.
This design was finalized and completed in late 1966.
And what made the MK IIIs different from the MK I was that the MK IIIs was built to be a road car.
It had four headlamps with an extended tail for extra storage. Door opening windows, raised front wings, central gear lever and left side steering rounded out its noticeable features.
Even though this was a “street car”, it is aerodynamically stable with low drag qualities, which mimic the MK II road race cars.
According to factory testing, its maximum power is reached was 310hp at 6,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 329lb/ft at 4,200rpm.
Conclusion
Visually, all these race cars look stunning.
They are powerful, fast, and deadly.
Sadly, a lot of prototypes during these years resulted in crashes, some of which were fatal for the driver.
Though engineers tried their best to minimize any catastrophes, pushing the limits of race car driving in both speed and time can result in a combination of mechanical or human error.
Tight business decisions and media pressures also did not help to increase driver safety as well.
Nevertheless, the Ford GT40s left their mark in racing history, and recently, the current Ford GTs are the modern successors of the Ford GT40s.
And speaking of great cars, make sure you also read about the top 5 DeSoto cars or the top 5 best Yenko muscle cars.
