Following 18 months of deep research and intense development work, Amalgam’s extraordinarily detailed prototype model of Ford GT40 chassis #1075 is ready to move forward to the batch build stage. The model depicts this most famous of Ford’s race cars, exactly as it raced and won at Le Mans in 1969. Following its submission to Ford, the prototype has been approved and the first small batch of finished models is sold out and will be ready for delivery in May 2021. We are continuing to accept pre-orders for future batches.
The model is a perfect replica of chassis #1075, which was victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969. Driven by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver, the #6 car recorded the real closest-run finish in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, and one of the greatest in the history of motor racing, beating Hans Hermann’s Porsche 908 by just 120 metres (390 feet) after 372 laps.
Porsche had already wrapped up the World Sportscar Championship with three of the ten races to go and were strong favourites to win Le Mans for the first time. 16 Porsches competed, more than a third of the field, and Porsche did indeed lead for 90% of the race. However, the leading 917's gearbox broke at 11.00 am on the morning of the second day of the race, and the Ford of Ickx and Oliver took over the lead. The race ended in a 3-hour sprint, with the Ford battling exhaust problems whilst being pursued by the Porsche 908 of Herrmann and Gérard Larrousse, who themselves contended with mechanical issues affecting the brakes and engine. Ickx knew if he led onto the Mulsanne straight, Herrmann would pass, but he could slipstream past him back again and then hold a lead for the rest of a lap. The cars crossed the finish line with less than a minute to go and so needed to complete one more lap. The Ford had only ever done 23 laps on a tank of fuel, but now suddenly needed to gain an extra lap. Ickx faked a lack of power from fuel starvation, letting Herrmann pass him early on the Mulsanne Straight, before using the slipstream to pass him again just before the end of the 5km straight. Ickx held off Herrmann to cross the line first, denying Porsche for another year.
The Ford GT40 will soon be available at 1:8, with an 1:18 scale model to be released later in 2021. Be sure to register your interest to ensure your own piece of history, replicated by Amalgam.
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View Porter Press International's Ford GT40: The Autobiography of 1075 >
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Discover the Ford GT40 1969 Le Mans Winner at 1:8 scale >
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