Sorry, Ferrari!; Enzo's snub led to the birth of Ford's GT40.(Car racing is good marketing)(Brief Article)

By early 1963 executives within Ford Motor Co.- Lee Iacocca among them-had recognized the prestige and marketing appeal of auto racing and decided the company could benefit from a successful racing program. It was determined that no competition was more prestigious than France's 24 Hours of Le Mans. A plan was developed: Acquire a proven race car manufacturer, infuse it with the latest Detroit technology, and come out fighting the following year.

At that time, Ferrari dominated sports car racing. Founder Enzo Ferrari disliked building road cars, and did so only to fund his racing program. In March, Ford proposed a buyout wherein Ferrari himself would remain in charge of racing and leave the dreaded road cars to Ford. It looked like a deal in which both would get something they wanted. Yet soon after negotiations began, it became clear to both parties just how polar their business cultures were. The labyrinth of red tape confronting the cantankerous Ferrari began to frustrate him and by May he called the deal off. Executives in Dearborn were stunned.

With high racing aspirations, Ford decided to launch its own racing program. It quickly assembled its dream team: Eric Broadley, Ray Geddes, Roy Lunn, Carroll Shelby and John Wyer. They began working on the first GT40, named for its 40-inch height. A 350-hp, 256-cid pushrod V8 developed for the 1963 Indianapolis 500 would power the car. A sleek fiberglass body was fitted to a semi-monocoque chassis. The car weighed just 1835 pounds.

Public expectations of an epic Ferrari-vs.-Ford battle were rampant when Ford entered three GT40s in the 1964 running of Le Mans. Despite showing promise ...