Ford Returning to Le Mans Next Year!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford domination at Le Mans in 1966, Ford is returning to sports car racing with an all-new Ford GT. Additionally, the car will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
At a press conference at this year’s Le Mans, Executive Chairman Bill Ford talked about how the Ford Motor Company was founded in racing. If it weren’t for Henry Ford’s racing win in 1901, he would’ve never have had the funds to start the company.
In 1966, Ford blitzed Le Mans with a 1, 2, 3 finish. That simply crushed Ferrari’s efforts and solidified Ford’s establishment as a serious racing contender.
Based on the new Ford GT we saw back in January, the race car version features the 3.5L EcoBoost that has already been a proven performer in the TUDOR series with Chip Ganassi. Cars with that engine won both the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24.
Beyond that, much is not known about the car, except for what you can see in pictures. Chip Ganassi will be running the race teams, and he has no announcement of drivers at this time. Both the race car, and street version, will be available next year.
Check out the gallery below, and let us know what you think of the new car over in the forums!
via [Ford]
photos via [Ford]
