The Ford GT was a sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969. It was built to win long-distance sports car races against Ferrari (who won at Le Mans six times in a row from 1960 to 1965).
The car was named the GT after the Grand Tourisme category it was intended to compete in and its overall height of 40 inches (1.02 m, measured at the windshield) as required by the rules. Large-capacity Ford V8 engines (4.7 L and 7 L) were used, compared with the Ferrari V12 which displaced 3.0 L or 4.0 L.
Early cars were simply named "Ford GT". The name "GT40" was the name of Ford's project to prepare the cars for the international endurance racing circuit, and the quest to win the 24 Hours of LeMans. The first 12 "prototype" vehicles carried serial numbers GT-101 through GT-112. The "production" began and the subsequent cars, the MkI, MkIIs, MkIIIs, and MkVs, numbered GT40-P-1000 through GT40-P-1145, were officially "GT40s". The name of Ford's project, and the serial numbers dispel the story that "GT40" was "only a nickname".
The contemporary Ford GT is a modern homage to the GT40.
At the 1995 Detroit Auto Show, the Ford GT90 concept was shown and at the 2002 show, a new GT40 Concept was unveiled by Ford.
Similar to the original cars, but bigger, wider, and especially taller than the original 40 inches (1.02 m) - a potential name resultantly was the GT43. Three production prototype cars were shown 2003 as part of Ford's centenary, and delivery of the production Ford GT began in the fall of 2004.
A British company Safir Engineering who made continuation GT40's in the 1980's owned the GT40 trademark at that time, and when they completed production, they sold the excess parts, tooling, design, and tradmark to a small Ohio company called Safir GT40 Spares. Safir GT40 Spares licensed the use of the GT40 tradmark to Ford for the initial 2002 show car, but when Ford decided to make the production vehicle, negotiations between the two failed, and as a result the new Ford GT does not wear the badge GT40. It is rumored that Safir GT40 Spares asked $40 million dollars for the rights, but this has never been verified. The partners at Safir GT40 Spares state they have correspondence form Ford declining Safir's $8 million offer.
The car was named the GT after the Grand Tourisme category it was intended to compete in and its overall height of 40 inches (1.02 m, measured at the windshield) as required by the rules. Large-capacity Ford V8 engines (4.7 L and 7 L) were used, compared with the Ferrari V12 which displaced 3.0 L or 4.0 L.
Early cars were simply named "Ford GT". The name "GT40" was the name of Ford's project to prepare the cars for the international endurance racing circuit, and the quest to win the 24 Hours of LeMans. The first 12 "prototype" vehicles carried serial numbers GT-101 through GT-112. The "production" began and the subsequent cars, the MkI, MkIIs, MkIIIs, and MkVs, numbered GT40-P-1000 through GT40-P-1145, were officially "GT40s". The name of Ford's project, and the serial numbers dispel the story that "GT40" was "only a nickname".
The contemporary Ford GT is a modern homage to the GT40.
At the 1995 Detroit Auto Show, the Ford GT90 concept was shown and at the 2002 show, a new GT40 Concept was unveiled by Ford.
Similar to the original cars, but bigger, wider, and especially taller than the original 40 inches (1.02 m) - a potential name resultantly was the GT43. Three production prototype cars were shown 2003 as part of Ford's centenary, and delivery of the production Ford GT began in the fall of 2004.
A British company Safir Engineering who made continuation GT40's in the 1980's owned the GT40 trademark at that time, and when they completed production, they sold the excess parts, tooling, design, and tradmark to a small Ohio company called Safir GT40 Spares. Safir GT40 Spares licensed the use of the GT40 tradmark to Ford for the initial 2002 show car, but when Ford decided to make the production vehicle, negotiations between the two failed, and as a result the new Ford GT does not wear the badge GT40. It is rumored that Safir GT40 Spares asked $40 million dollars for the rights, but this has never been verified. The partners at Safir GT40 Spares state they have correspondence form Ford declining Safir's $8 million offer.
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