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This is my term paper on the GT40, its packed with information!
THE FORD GT40
The Automobile, the Ford GT40 , is called by many the best car ever made for street and/or track use. In the summer of 1962, Henry Ford II decided that Ford division should participate in the international competition field. He believed that by making a race car he might be able to create interest in the teenage crowd (GT40 Club).
Ford hired the race car developing company Lola, at this time a small company, to build him a mid-engined race car to be powered by a Ford V-8. What they got was the most legendary car ever made. The Concept GT40 , the GT40P/1013 was the most photographed car of all time( Roaring Forties). The race versions generated nearly 500 hp , even the windshield wipers were powerful, they were powered by the same 24-volt motor as the Boeing 707 passenger plane ( Road & Track By :Richard Owens page 81)
The GT40 was made to crack Enzo Ferrari's racing team which
dominated Lemans in recent years. Lemans is a 24 hour race held once a year in Europe, a win here is like being the best in the world, many cars don't even finish the race! Team Ferrari had a three years winning streak that Henry Ford II was determined to break. For the design, Ford turned to Eric Broadley of then, the small company of Lola Cars (GT40 Club) The first GT40, the GT40P/1013, was completed in April of 1964. The first engine used in the prototypes was a 4.2 liter Ford V-8 generating 350 mean horses at 7000 rpm and 275 lbs of torque at 5600 rpm. Torque is defined as "the tendency of a force to produce rotation of an axis". The GT40 was named after its height in inches, 40. Without liquids or a pilot it weighed in at a light 1,835 lbs (A - Z of Landmark Cars)!
Ford began to test their new prototype supercar! But after 2 wrecks it became apparent that the car was light at high speeds, so there was a large rear spoiler put across the width of the car in the rear. The adjustments seemed to help the GT40 dramatically (Encyclopedia of Motorcars).
Only 50 GT40's were made and sold for competition. The biggest reason was the hefty price tag of ,000 which at the time was even more than it is today! It remains the most expensive car ever created by the Ford Motor Company.
"In 1967, it was the fastest thing you could buy. Acceleration quicker than a Lamborghini Muira and reaching up to 274 kph (170 miles per hour) in short and stable order." -Andrew Frankel (Dreamcars). The car the man was describing is none other than the road version of the Ford GT40. The most popular road version was the GT40 Mk. 3 The road GT40's were slightly milder than their venomous counterparts. They were powered by a 335 hp V-8 (Supercars.net).
The Road version GT40's were also fitted with metal bumpers in the front of the car to protect the delicate car. Although less beautiful than the racing GT40's, road going Mk 3's still boasted beautiful styling such as the large rear air scoops which cool the brakes and feed the engine (Dreamcars).
There were a small amount GT40's made, they mainly consisted of GT40's Marks 1-4, the others were simply design exercises that never went into production. The GT40's were mid-engine rear wheel drive (Road & Track By: Richard Owens page 82).
The Mk.1 race car had 390 hp. The power to weight ratio for the Mk.1 was a tremendous .47 hp per pound. This means that for every one pound there is nearly .5 horsepower pulling the car which is a extremely large ratio. The Mk.1 had a 5 speed manual transmission. It was capable of reaching up to 197 mph! Its final drive ratio is 3.09. Before I continue, the final drive ratio is a final gear, if it is set at a high setting there is low top speed and high acceleration, and when set low there is high top speed and low acceleration. Even though a low setting raises a maximum speed there is a limit, for one, the car is always limited by drag, and two, it needs sufficient power to reach high speeds regardless of the drive ratio setting.
The GT40 Mk.2 had 485 hp and was powered by a four speed manual transmission, it was capable of a breathtaking 205 mph top speed! It also had a larger bulkhead to accommodate larger tires. It had a final drive ratio of 2.77.
The Mk.3 was just a road car. It was had 335 hp and was still capable of 165+ mph. The final drive ratio is 4.22.
The 500 hp Mk.4 was made purely as a race car. It featured a new honeycomb chassis. It engine was 427 cubic inches. It was powered by a 4 speed manual transmission. It had a power to weight ratio of ½ hp to one pound! It had a phenomenal maximum speed, over 220 mph! Its final drive ratio was 3.09. They all had 37 gallon fuel tanks. They all had a weight distribution ration of about 46 in the front and 54 in the rear. This means that if it were to be placed on a scale, 54% of the weight would be measured in the front and 46% in the rear. The perfect weight distribution is 50/50. Having a good weight distribution is essential for well balanced cornering behavior (Supercars.net).
The GT40 has had a very successful racing career. It has won the Lemans 24 hour race 4 years in a row. It won Lemans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. In 1968-1969 the same model won Lemans. This record was not matched until the 1980's when a Porsche 956 tied the record, the record still stands to this very day. During the Lemans races, speeds of 217 mph were reached, this was incredible for a time when most road cars could not make it past 90 mph! Gulf GT40's (Mk.2) could be identified by their baby blue and orange paint jobs, they were given huge 425 hp Ford V-8's. The Lemans winning Mk.2 was driven by McLaren and Amon. The GT40 Lemans campaign was no doubt a huge success for the Ford Motor Company (GT40 Club).
The Ford GT40 project was a huge step forward in racing technology, the GT40 won Lemans 4 times in a row, in 1966 it claimed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Lemans (A - Z of Landmark Cars). It had total domination over the Lemans series. It also had great success in other professional racing series such as The Sports Car Championship and others. It also had a great deal of success in amateur road races. (GT40 Club)
Ford has stopped making GT40's long ago. There are more replica GT40's than there are originals! There may be a new GT40 in the future, considering its mammoth success and popularity. In 1995, Ford showed off its amazing GT90 concept. The GT90 was to be the sequel to the GT40, its true spiritual successor, but just before production began, Ford dropped the project. This left many fans like myself deeply saddened. It too was mid-engine rear wheel drive. It was powered by a HUGE Quad Turbo V-12 generating an unbelievable 720 horsepower at 6600 rpms! It was to have a five speed manual transmission and the concept car could reach a top speed of 235 mph!!! It also could fly to sixty miles per hour in a mere 3.1 seconds, that's faster than a McLaren F1! But the project was canceled so fans like us will just have to wait and see what happens, will Ford give us a new GT40? We will just have to wait and see (ConceptCarZ.com).
The GT40 was without a doubt the best car of its time and perhaps the best car ever made (take into consideration the time of its production) .It is responsible for influencing many car designs today and is an inspiration for automotive artists of today. It remains today only in the few examples left in the world. They can be purchased for no less than ,000, and that is only if the owner is willing to part with his GT40! The GT40 is a legendary car who's performance and reputation will never ever be matched again. (Road & Track By: Richard Owens pg 82)
THE END!
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