Ford GT40 MK1 Review, History, Engine, Specs

Ford GT40 MK1 is called a supercar, which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1965-1968. The car that was presented at the 1964 New York auto show was distinguished by a V8 engine with a capacity of 4.2 to 7 liters and a powerful 355 HP.

Ford GT40 MK1 Reliability History Engine Specs Review For Sale

This resulted in the Ford GT40’s victories in rallies such as Le Mans races and the naming of the GT40, which refers to an abbreviation of the term “Grand Touring” and the number “40” denoting the height of the building. The manufacturer describes the creation of the Ford GT40 with a desire to break Ferrari’s power in a professional international rally.

GT40 MK1 History

Starting from the beginning, it is important to explain what a ‘supercar’ really is. This term is used to describe a sports car with an aerodynamic body structure and an efficient engine of 500 HP, which allows it to overcome the speed resistance of 300 km / h.

Going back to the Ford GT40, the original dates back to the 1960s, when the Ferrari brand continued to dominate the rally car field. Wanting to break this line, Henry Ford II, who was president of the Ford Motor Company at the time, decided to buy most of Ferrari’s stock, which he proposed for around $ 16 million. The owner of Enzo Ferrari responded positively, but at the end of the negotiations he changed his mind, which ended the conversation.

Left with no other choice Henry Ford III decided to prove his superiority on the track and began efforts to build a competitive racing car. For this reason, a partnership was formed with Eric Broadley – the main constructor of Lola Racing Cars, who was responsible for a prototype called the Lola GT, which crashed on the route of the last Le Mans rally (1963).

Former industry-renowned Aston Martin boss John Wyer also joined the project, which resulted in the presentation of the ready-made Ford GT40 months later.

GT40 MK1 Version

The first – the original version of the Ford GT40 was called the Mark I and was powered by a 4.3 liter V8 engine transferred directly from the Ford Mustang. The units were powered by the Hewland LG500 automatic transmission, and the interesting fact is that the first prototype models were roadsters, including the Ford X-1.

According to the chronology, the later version was named Mark II and was distinguished by the 7-liter V8 power unit, previously used, among other things, in the Ford Galaxie. However, this version was discontinued immediately after the race won by Ferrari, and all Ford GT40s were scrapped following a failure of the engine previously prepared by the Mercury team.

To that end, Ford is presenting the third version of the GT40, the Mark III, which is equipped with four lights located at the front and rear which are enlarged, which translates into an increase in the amount of free luggage space. The next edition of the Ford supercar called the J-Car was different from the others, and the project was completed in 1966.

The car started to be successful from the start, having the best time during the race at Le Mans, which resulted in the construction of another model, which was installed at the race at Riverside. Unfortunately, the rally ended in tragedy after Ken Miles’ Ford GT40 skidded and caught fire. The driver died and work on the J-Car version was stopped.

Despite the crash, Ford found that the design of the final version worked well enough that it started testing the last two variants of the Ford GT40: the G7A and the Mark IV. The latter was part of the CanAm series and was completed in 1969, while the Mark IV won two races at Le Mans and Sebring.

GT40 MK1 Specification

For propulsion, the Ford GT40 MK1 uses the popular V8 engine, which has a capacity of between 4.1 and 4.7 liters. The unit uses a 4 carburetor system, reaching a maximum power of 355 hp at 7200 rpm and a maximum torque of 466 N * m and 4200 rpm. The compression ratio is 10.9, and the cylinder diameter per stroke is 101.6 mm x 72.9 mm.

GT40 MK1 Dimensions

The Ford GT40, like other supercars, has the characteristics of an extended aerodynamic structure. It is 4,046 mm long, 1,029 mm high and 1,778 mm wide. As a result, the wheelbase is 2,413 mm, and the curb weight of the vehicle is 908 kg. Lastly, it is impossible to mention the large fuel tank inside the Ford GT40, which has a capacity of 125 liters.

GT40 MK1 Performance & Fuel Consumption

The Ford GT40 MK1, thanks to a V8 engine with an average capacity of 5 liters, reaches a top speed of 257 km / h in the first hundred, accelerating in about 5.3 seconds. In comparison, the first 400 meters of the Ford GT40 took less than 14 seconds.

Such high performance cannot fail to affect the combustion parameters. Thus, the Ford GT40 covers about 20 l / 100 km during urban driving, which in the case of the intercity route drops to 12 l / 100 km and stabilizes at the 17 l / 100 km level in the mixed model.

Conclusion

During the production period, the Ford factory assembled a total of 146 Ford GT40s, and the car was very popular, which produced many replicas after production ended. For this reason, the first successor to this model was presented in 1995 under the name GT40, but it did not appeal to users, who ended up producing only three copies.

The last attempt to replace the Ford GT40 MK1 was made in 2002, when brand designer J. Mays created the Ford GT. The car resembles the original model as much as possible and is characterized by simplified equipment, including: no air conditioning.

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