3. Ford GT40
The story of the Ford GT40 is a saga of enormous efforts and incredible support. In fact, several talented people all gathered in one place at one moment in time to create history. After a failed attempt to buy Ferrari in the early â60s, Ford was angry at Enzo for his childish behavior. They decided to beat him on the race track and prove who the real boss was.
But at the time, Ford didn’t have a racing program or even someone to manage it. So, the company looked for outsourcers who could make things happen. They found the basis for the Ferrari-beating race car in England in the form of the Lola Mk6. Ford re-engineered and redesigned the car. They even gave it a new racing 289 V8 engine, turning it into the first Ford GT40 in 1964.
The car didn’t look promising at the beginning. But Ford invested meticulous work and money, transforming the GT40 into a world-conquering machine in months. Today, the GT40`s recognizable design is as American as apple pie. But, to be honest, they designed the car in England and it came to America already fully shaped.
To make a long story short, Ferrari was humiliated four times between 1966 and 1969 when the GT40 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times in a row. It was an amazing success and an incredible achievement by a company that never appeared on the Le Mans before the mid-60s. The GT40 became a legend and a symbol of American race cars that dominated the European racing scene.