It was 40 years ago this June that Ford's four-year domination of the 24 Hours of Le Mans began with the GT40 racecar, and that's simply too big an anniversary to let pass without a commemorative model and a nod at the firm's current performance in, well, performance.
So say hello to the current Ford GT in a special color -- Tungsten Silver -- as a reminder of just how world-conquering the GT40 was at Le Mans, and as a reminder of the company's current SVT division.
That second bit may be more of a stretch for the casual observer, but Ford maintains that ''There's a little Ford GT in every SVT, with technology, engineering skills and hardware applied to future SVT products.''
This connection from the French countryside halfway between Paris and the Bay of Biscay to the driveways of North America began on the dark afternoon of Sunday, June 19, 1966. Three Ford GT40 Mk II racecars take the checkered flag in photo formation, showing the world that Ford has beaten the world's great car companies -- but particularly Ferrari -- in a convincing 1-2-3 finish.
''June 19, 1966 was probably the second most important day in Ford Motor Company history,'' says Phil Martens, Ford's group vice president of product creation. ''The first, of course, was October 10, 1901 when Henry Ford won his first and only race in the 'Sweepstakes' race car, helping launch Ford Motor Company.''
Martens says Those two events helped ''establish a culture of performance at Ford Motor Company that to this day benefits our products, engineering expertise, and brand loyalty. Today, that culture is embodied in the Ford GT, aptly titled the pace car for the entire company.''
Ford has had varied levels of success in racing since then, with the recent decision to abandon F1 after years of failing to make Jaguar even competitive with the rest of the world, but particularly Ferrari.
Not altogether surprising, then, that Ford says it isn't celebrating its past.
But Ford isn't just celebrating its past. Instead, the company looks forward, building on its heritage with its Special Vehicle Team (SVT) enhancing the performance of Ford products now and into the future.
A quarter-century after the Le Mans sweep, Ford established SVT to produce high-performance versions of Ford vehicles, including SVT F-150 Lightning, SVT Focus, SVT Contour and SVT Mustang Cobra.
The team's engineering experience and passion for performance proved essential in developing and delivering the Ford GT supercar to market, Martens maintains.
''SVT demonstrated that it could build a great, ultra high-performance supercar and compete with anybody in the world,'' says Hau Thai-Tang, director of Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team. ''We designed an all-new car from the ground up and in record time. We piloted a lot of technology and processes that are now being adopted into mainstream Ford programs.''
Not only is SVT recognized as a center of excellence for performance vehicles, says Thai-Tang, ''but it is also on the leading edge of developing technology -- superforming of body panels, aluminum spaceframe chassis architecture, supercharged engines, advanced aerodynamics -- as well as the methodology for getting things to market quicker and at lower costs.''
 |
| (photo: Ford) |
That second bit may be more of a stretch for the casual observer, but Ford maintains that ''There's a little Ford GT in every SVT, with technology, engineering skills and hardware applied to future SVT products.''
This connection from the French countryside halfway between Paris and the Bay of Biscay to the driveways of North America began on the dark afternoon of Sunday, June 19, 1966. Three Ford GT40 Mk II racecars take the checkered flag in photo formation, showing the world that Ford has beaten the world's great car companies -- but particularly Ferrari -- in a convincing 1-2-3 finish.
''June 19, 1966 was probably the second most important day in Ford Motor Company history,'' says Phil Martens, Ford's group vice president of product creation. ''The first, of course, was October 10, 1901 when Henry Ford won his first and only race in the 'Sweepstakes' race car, helping launch Ford Motor Company.''
 |
| (photo: Ford) |
Ford has had varied levels of success in racing since then, with the recent decision to abandon F1 after years of failing to make Jaguar even competitive with the rest of the world, but particularly Ferrari.
Not altogether surprising, then, that Ford says it isn't celebrating its past.
But Ford isn't just celebrating its past. Instead, the company looks forward, building on its heritage with its Special Vehicle Team (SVT) enhancing the performance of Ford products now and into the future.
A quarter-century after the Le Mans sweep, Ford established SVT to produce high-performance versions of Ford vehicles, including SVT F-150 Lightning, SVT Focus, SVT Contour and SVT Mustang Cobra.
The team's engineering experience and passion for performance proved essential in developing and delivering the Ford GT supercar to market, Martens maintains.
 |
| (photo: Ford) |
Not only is SVT recognized as a center of excellence for performance vehicles, says Thai-Tang, ''but it is also on the leading edge of developing technology -- superforming of body panels, aluminum spaceframe chassis architecture, supercharged engines, advanced aerodynamics -- as well as the methodology for getting things to market quicker and at lower costs.''