55 years since the iconic 1969 Le Mans victory
Born out of motorsport's most infamous grudge, the Ford GT40 is widely known as one of the most iconic racing cars of all time. The GT40 celebrates 55 years since its victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the 14th and 15th of June in 1969. Read on to discover the full race story as well as our offering of GT40 models and art pieces below.
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The Iconic 1969 Le Mans Race
Driven by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver, the #6 Ford GT40 recorded the closest-run competitive finish in Le Mans 24 Hours history. The team beat the Porsche 908 by just 120 meters (390 feet) after 372 laps. Despite a show of force from the season dominating Porsche team, with 16 of their cars, the Ford duo took over the lead after the leading Porsche's 917 gearbox broke at 11am.
The race ended in a thrilling 3-hour sprint, with Ickx in the Ford battling exhaust problems whilst trading positions with Hans Herrmann's Porsche 908, who himself was contending with mechanical issues. Ickx knew if he let Herrmann pass on the Mulsanne straight, he could slipstream past him again and hold the lead for another lap. The cars crossed the finish line with less than a minute to go, forcing the competitors to complete one more lap. Ickx faked a lack of power from fuel starvation to let Herrmann pass, before using the slipstream to regain the lead and ultimately take the win, denying Porsche for another year.
The Ford GT40 Collection
We have a wide selection of Ford GT40 offerings currently available to order on our website, ranging from our most recent developments of Race Weathered models at 1:8 and 1:18 scale to our collection of Fine Art Edition prints and books. Discover more below.
Race Weathered at 1:8 scale
Race Weathered at 1:18 scale
The Ford GT40 Fine Art Edition
The Ford GT40 Fine Art Edition depicts the iconic Gulf Livery in a precise and vibrant side profile of the 1969 Le Mans winning car, created with seven hand mixed colours by artist and photographer Alan Thornton.
The Automotive Art Project
This book, available from our friends at Porter Press, showcases, the work of six leading artists commissioned by Claude Nahum, who gave them free rein to depict each of the 25 cars from his automotive collection in their own inimitable style, including the Ford GT40.
Ford GT40 Half Tone Flat Bed
Created from photography shot by Alan Thornton of the Amalgam Collection 1:8 scale Ford GT40 model, this half tone flat bed print uses a reprographic technique using dots to create a gradient-like effect, simulating continuous-tone imagery.
1:8 scale model
