In the early 1960's, the budding relationship between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari seemed set to take the world of auto racing, and the automotive world in general, by storm.  However, the buyout of Ferrari by Ford was not to be.  Enzo Ferrari declined the deal, snubbing Ford in the process. While no one is sure about Ferrari's reasons, the result was immediate and dramatic.  Ford vowed to take revenge on Ferrari in his beloved sport of auto racing, by beating his cars in the famed Le Mans.

Of course, Ford's creation is quite well known.  Out of this rivalry on the racetrack, came the legendary Ford GT40 - dubbed 40 for the height of the vehicle, though it actually stood at 40.5 inches. While it would be a wonderful thing to imagine that the powerhouse went on to beat Ferrari and win the Le Mans right out of the gate, the Mark I failed to live up to expectations.  It did, however, give Ferrari pause when Phil Hill set a new record for lap time.  Ferrari at least knew that Ford meant business.

While the resounding defeat of Ferrari (and all other European cars) by the legendary A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney made headlines around the world, it was a long road to get to that point.  The most notable were the problems that plagued the entire 1964 and 65 seasons.  The very cars that gave Ferrari pause in his bid for racing domination actually hampered the efforts of Ford to win even one race.

The problem could actually be traced back to a single item - the Collotti 4-speed transmission.  During the 1964 racing season, the Ford GT40 had 10 starts, but not a single finish.  The transmission would go on to plague the car beyond the first Le Mans, taking all the Ford GT40's out of the 1965 Daytona 24 Hour with failed transmissions.

The transmission utilized by Ford in construction was a lightweight affair, designed for maximum performance with minimal weight.  Unfortunately, they all seemed to have a singular flaw.  The reasons finally became obvious in the 1965 Daytona 24 Hour, when the pit crew had to change the entire gearbox out of every GT40, only to wait and do it again later in the race.  Needless to say, the race did not end in glory for the GT40, or any Ford team.  The 1965 Le Mans was almost a repeat of the previous year, with all the GT40's dropping out due to a failed transmission, though this time it was a remade Kar Kraft transmission that did them in, rather than the Collotti.  The problem with both transmissions turned out to be unhardened transmission rods that failed due to heat buildup.

1966 was the year that changed the fortunes of the Ford GT40, and much else in the world of racing.  While the victory of Foyt and Gurney would wait until '67, 1966 still saw the Ford GT40 take first, second and third in the Le Mans.

By Valerie Mellema

Valerie Mellema has a B.S. in Agribusiness/Equine Industry & Business and a Minor in Animal Science.

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