Ford’s GT40 swept the podium at Le Mans in 1966, taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd place while making it the first American car company to win the prestigious 24-hour endurance race. The 50th anniversary of that win is being celebrated this weekend in Monterey, and I’ll be attending an event that will include all of the winning Ford GT40s of that era.
A brochure for the 1966 Ford GT40 that won Le Mans
Years ago I spotted a brochure for the 1966 Ford GT40 on eBay at a reasonable price. I’ve scanned the brochure and posted it here for your reading enjoyment. I’m not sure if this is an original brochure of a reprint, but it’s a fun read either way.
A brochure for the 1966 Ford GT40 that won Le Mans
When I was told I’d “made the list” to get a 2005 Ford GT, in April of 2004, I didn’t know exactly when I’d take delivery. At that point I was just happy to be getting a car. But after a year of waiting I’ll admit, I was getting antsy. The delays to the car’s production due to paint issues, the “ship-in-a-bottle” central fuel tank design and the extruded aluminum suspension pieces were well known to Ford GT fans and industry followers. By spring of 2005 cars were slowly trickling into dealerships, and any GTs not snapped up by dealer principals were going for $250,000-plus on the open market.
My order form for a 2005 Ford GT
Then in mid-April 2005 I received paperwork from Ford asking me how I wanted my GT configured. The car’s base price started at $139,995, and of the four options offered I knew how I wanted all four of them configured. “Yes” on the painted racing stripes ($5,350), “yes” on the BBS lightweight aluminum wheels ($3,500), “yes” on the (red) painted brake calipers ($750), and “no” on the optional McIntosh audio system ($2,100). I actually liked the McIntosh audio head unit, but the large subwoofer that came with it was mounted between the seats, blocking the view of the supercharger on the other side of the rear cabin glass.
2005 Ford GT pre-production press car with early headlight design
After briefly driving the Ford GT for the first time on Gingerman Raceway in October of 2003 I was given a second opportunity in April of 2004. This time I had the car for over 48 hours on the roads in and around Napa Valley. During this drive I also learned I was getting an allocation to buy a 2005 Ford GT, equipped the way I wanted and sold at MSRP. This is the road test I wrote and these are the photos that came from driving that pre-production test car. This article first published July 2, 2004:
2005 Ford GT pre-production press car in Fort Bragg, California
In June of 2004 I went to a small studio in West Los Angeles to be interviewed for a series called “Behind the Headlights.” This series of documentary programs, written by noted automotive journalist and historian Ken Gross, focused each episode on one highly significant automobile from history. Examples included James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from the 1955 Le Mans crash, and the 1961 Lincoln Continental, also known as the X-100, that carried JFK on that fateful day in Dallas.
The Behind the Headlights episode I contributed to focused on the 1967 Ford GT40 Mark IV that won Le Mans in 1967. While that specific GT40 was the star of the show, the 45-minute documentary discussed the entire Ford GT40 race program, from the attempt to buy Ferrari in 1963, through the 1969 Le Mans win and even the 2005-2006 Ford GT revival. I’m probably biased, but I consider it the most effective and entertaining telling of the Ford GT40 story (and I’ve seen them all).
I played a tiny role in a highly-entertaining Ford GT40 show
Being a part of this show, shortly after learning I’d be getting a new 2005 Ford GT but about a year before I took possession, was incredibly rewarding. Not only was I thrilled to discuss the original Ford GT40, I also felt honored (and a bit out of place) to be among the legendary individuals that appeared in this episode of Behind the Headlights. I’m convinced when people watch this episode they ask the same question Bill Ford Jr. asked when looking at the list of 2005 Ford GT applicants: “Who is Karl Brauer?”
2005 Ford GT Press Car in Fort Bragg, California, April 2004
In my 2-year effort to secure a 2005 Ford GT, preferably at MSRP, I had called over 50 Ford dealerships across the U.S. When I started the process in mid-2002 the most common response to “Would you commit to selling me a GT at MSRP?” was “Sure, we got Mustangs on the lot. Come on down!” Telling the dealer rep I was calling about a future Ford exotic car, with a mid-engine V8, was usually met with an extended pause, followed by “Umm…I haven’t heard about that. Let me get back to you.” Despite these challenges I had five dealers express interest in selling me the car at MSRP “…if and when it shows up.” I was surprised by the skepticism many dealers expressed about the car ever actually being built, which was increasingly frustrating as I watched the Ford GT progress from concept car to production vehicle over the course of 2 years.
Then, the Super Bowl commercial hit on February 1, 2004, and suddenly every Ford dealer was very aware of the car…and the potential it held for dealer mark-up. I can only imagine how many phone calls flooded showroom switchboards on the Monday after Super Bowl XXXVIII. Not surprisingly, when I checked back with the dealers who had previously committed to selling the car at MSRP (including one I’d sent a $2,000 deposit to), they had a different attitude after the Super Bowl commercial. “Yeah, we’re going to use a bidding process for the car.”
