How The New Ford GT Came Be: The Inside Story
50 years ago, Henry Ford II witnessed the culmination of a mission he launched in 1963. After Enzo Ferrari had approached Ford about investing in… [Read More]The post How The New Ford GT Came Be: The Inside Story appeared first on Pursuitist.
50 years ago, Henry Ford II witnessed the culmination of a mission he launched in 1963. After Enzo Ferrari had approached Ford about investing in his struggling car company, the deal started unravelling at the 11th hour because of Ferrari’s insistence on racing his cars at Indy. Hank the Deuce said no and Il Commendatore pulled out, costing Ford millions of dollars.Mr. Ford took this slight personally and vowed to make Ferrari pay. He pulled together an all-star team to create a car that could take from Enzo the thing that mattered most to him, his company’s domination at the 24-hours of Le Mans. In just three short years it happened. The legendary Ford GT40 Mk II finished 1, 2, 3 at the world’s most important endurance race.30 months ago, to honor the 50th anniversary of that sweep, Ford Director of Product Development and the company’s chief technical officer, Raj Nair, gathered a team of about 10 design and engineering all-stars from within the company and told them their mission was to win Le Mans again. The team made the case for the program and sold it to Ford’s chairman and board of directors. And with that “Project Phoenix” was born.So in the summer of 2013, the team was given a ro...
50 years ago, Henry Ford II witnessed the culmination of a mission he launched in 1963. After Enzo Ferrari had approached Ford about investing in his struggling car company, the deal started unravelling at the 11th hour because of Ferrari’s insistence on racing his cars at Indy. Hank the Deuce said no and Il Commendatore pulled out, costing Ford millions of dollars.Mr. Ford took this slight personally and vowed to make Ferrari pay. He pulled together an all-star team to create a car that could take from Enzo the thing that mattered most to him, his company’s domination at the 24-hours of Le Mans. In just three short years it happened. The legendary Ford GT40 Mk II finished 1, 2, 3 at the world’s most important endurance race.30 months ago, to honor the 50th anniversary of that sweep, Ford Director of Product Development and the company’s chief technical officer, Raj Nair, gathered a team of about 10 design and engineering all-stars from within the company and told them their mission was to win Le Mans again. The team made the case for the program and sold it to Ford’s chairman and board of directors. And with that “Project Phoenix” was born.So in the summer of 2013, the team was given a ro...
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