The Lola MkVI GT is uncovered for the start of Le Mans Contributor: Lola Heritage Archives-Glyn Jones

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1 The Lola MkVI GT at the Nürburgring 1000km in Contributor: Udo Klinkel The unusual, central, roof-mounted engine air-intake immediately attracted the ACO s attention and it quickly became apparent that the ACO Officials believed it blocked the driver s rear vision. Lola removed the roof-mounted air-intake and quickly fitted redesigned engine air-intakes on each side of the car instead. The ACO officials weren t happy with the excessive fuel tank capacity either. This issue was quickly solved in a novel way: empty bottles were placed into the fuel tank to reduce its capacity. Once this work was completed, the ACO officials passed the Lola MkVI GT as eligible to race. Unfortunately, with the all scrutineering problems, Lola had no time for track testing, resulting in some set up errors, including using the wrong set of gear ratios to allow maximum speed to be reached on the Mulsanne straight. Fifteen hours into the race, driver David Hobbs crashed due to a gearbox failure at high speed. This accident ended the very short racing career of the Lola MkVI GT, but it was the beginning of something very much bigger... The Lola MkVI GT is uncovered for the start of Le Mans Contributor: Lola Heritage Archives-Glyn Jones 13 V pubkr indd 13 25/5/06 11:04:37 am

2 Carroll Shelby with one of his charges in the pits of Le Mans prior to the start in Contributor: Ford Motor Company 33

3 Doug about to take Bob for a drive around the Chaffee Ford dealership lot. Yeah right Doug, just around the lot? Contributor: Doug Anderson Ford GT MkI chassis no is said to have been purchased by Ford USA from a Texas rancher. It s seen here at the Chaffee Ford dealership in Hawthorne, California in March The three guys in the images are: (left) Glen the refueller, (centre) Doug Anderson, and Bob Baldwin. Contributor: Doug Anderson Ford USA ran a promotion and disposal program. These road cars were nicknamed the Dearborn Road Coupés. Carroll Shelby at Shelby American Inc. had at least two Ford GT road cars allocated as part of the program, but these were the later MkIII road cars which had the small Ford oval behind the front wheels, not the Ford GT sill stripes. Shelby American Inc. at one time or another owned Ford GT MkI road cars 1018 (maroon), 1020 (dark blue), and the Shell Parachute Cars 1025, 1030, 1035 and 1036, but the latter four were sent back to Ford Advanced Vehicles incomplete and, obviously, unsold. Chassis no was sold to Ford France and competed at Le Mans in It is currently housed at the Sarthe Museum, located at the main entrance to the circuit. Chassis No also still exists in private hands in the USA. Chassis no. 1105, a blue, left-hand drive version was delivered to Herbert von Karajan in Austria in Being the only one of its kind (LHD) makes this particular Ford GT arguably the most unique of all because all the other road and racing cars were right-hand drive. Note: Unused LHD MkIII chassis no was used for the rebuild of Ford GT MkI chassis no in The final customer Ford GT MkIII road car, chassis no. 1103, with its exterior finished in a dark red paint and with a black interior, was delivered to Sir Max Aitken in May This particular Ford GT was fitted with the Ford 302 V8, the Gulf team style wider rear end, and wider rear wheels. Ford GT MkIII road car. This is chassis no which is still owned by Ford. Contributor: Richard Truesdell 43

4 Ken Miles at Sebring in Tragically, Ken was to lose his life later that year. Contributor: C. Nahum Collection; photograph by Gérard Crombac The Ford GT MkIIA-X1 Roadster makes a night pit stop on its way to victory. Contributor: Ford Motor Company 46

5 was Phil Hill, and that I was behind the wheel of chassis number 102, his car when Ford first mounted its assault on Le Sarthe on June 20, Circulating the course, my heart virtually beating out of my chest, I had reached the automotive Promised Land. The opportunity to act out one of my fondest childhood fantasies had come about through the generosity of Mr. Hérve Guyomard, the Bugatti circuit director at Le Mans, who once owned and drove chassis no. 1020, the Ford GT MkI on display at the Sarthe museum that I had photographed just moments before. Note: Chassis no was originally painted midnight blue and delivered to Shelby American Inc. as a display car. It was sold to Ford France in 1967, repainted in the Ford France white colour scheme and raced at Le Mans and many other events by drivers such as Jo Schlesser and Henri Greder. After it was retired, chassis no was sold to Pierre Bardinon and then to Franco Sbarro, and eventually found its way to the Sarthe museum. Walking through the pits, the weight of history was palpable to me; I would soon be driving on hallowed ground that over the years has hosted some of motorsports most memorable events. As I walked towards the Ford GT one image was dominating my thoughts, the sight of three Ford GT MkIIAs crossing the finish line together in 1966, ending Ferrari s domination of Le Mans and the start of an uninterrupted four year run of Le Mans victories. Driving around the Bugatti Circuit is best enjoyed behind the wheel of the Ford GT. From the cockpit, everything was in Next stop is Mario Andretti s favourite part of the Sarthe circuit, the Dunlop Bridge. Contributor: Richard Truesdell 170

6 Seven The replicator s showroom Replicas came into being because the total number of Ford GTs manufactured between 1963 and 1969 was too small to support the depth of love and dedication which developed out of the core Ford GT fanbase. The number of fans continued to rise long after the GT s racing days were over. Low production numbers opened the door for dedicated Ford GT lovers to take control and, ultimately, responsibility for keeping the Ford GT legend alive. The people and companies behind this are affectionately described here as the replicators. Many years after the original Ford GT went out of production the Safir Company in England built a number of new-build, or continuation, Ford GT MkIs. A new continuation model of the MkII is also being offered by Holman Moody in the USA. The new Ford GT and Ford GTX1 could also be considered as continuation models, albeit modified for the demands of the modern customer. A racing car version of the C.A.V. GT manufactured replica, owned by Roy Sales, where it was designed to be, on the race track. Contributor: John Spence It could be argued that the replicator movement began with Alan Mann Racing (P40), Bruce McLaren (MkIIA-X1) and Ford France (Roadster) during the heady early days of These teams all wanted to create their own highly competitive versions of the Ford GT and they did. For Ford GT historians and fans alike this process created mass confusion with the chassis numbers later, but these things happen. GTr460 by Gloster Cars. Contributor: Gloster Car Company Simon Farrell The new Ford GT inspired products like the GTr460, under development by the Gloster Car Company in England, and the really new kid on the block, the superb-looking Barchetta from GT40NZ Ltd. in New Zealand. This was once a straight Ford GT40 replica, but the previous owner had some rather novel ideas of how it should look. Ford GT replicas are available from numerous companies around the world, but those who contributed to this book are: Auto Futura (C.A.V. GT) in South Africa; GT40NZ in New Zealand; M.D.A. in England; and E.R.A. in the USA. 173