It's easy to ignore the Ford promotional narration track to see this much footage of the first iteration of the Ford GT in 1964. The car was modified so quickly that videos showing the car as originally built are not easy to find.
Posted 28 March 2014 - 04:54 AM
It's easy to ignore the Ford promotional narration track to see this much footage of the first iteration of the Ford GT in 1964. The car was modified so quickly that videos showing the car as originally built are not easy to find.
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
Posted 28 March 2014 - 07:19 AM
Awewsome. Hard to believe it was 50 years ago...
Posted 28 March 2014 - 08:17 AM
Ha! I like how when the voice-over announcer says, "Maserati..." the film shows a Cobra Daytona Coupe driving away from the camera.
Posted 28 March 2014 - 09:15 AM
Almost mentioned the Cobra Coupe when I made the original post. I spotted the car at least once or twice more, I think.
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
Posted 28 March 2014 - 09:45 AM
Thanks, Greg, great stuff!
Posted 28 March 2014 - 09:49 AM
Thanks, Greg!
Posted 28 March 2014 - 10:05 AM
Guys, thanks for the responses.
I sometimes think it's a little off-topic for me to be posting these vids on a slot car forum, but since I like 'em so much, I thought most of the members would as well.
Your comments suggests I shouldn't stop posting them and I don't plan to.
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
Posted 28 March 2014 - 11:03 AM
The fact that the forum is "1/1 Racing & Rides" says it all.
Keep 'em coming!
Posted 28 March 2014 - 11:34 AM
Greg,
To be precise, this was not the "first" Ford GT but an evolution that began well before the '64 LeMans race, with appendages added all over since the car as originally tested was a nice aircraft, a different gearbox, engine type, brakes... I attended the LeMans race in '64 (my dad was a guest of Shell Oil and we had seats right above the Ferrari pits) and was quite happy to see the Ford cars and they were fast, that is until they began disintegrating. The Cobra soldiered on however and soundly beat all comers to win the GT class, with Big Dan and Bob Bondurant sharing the drive.
The footage however is great but quite full of factual errors, but with the sound off, fabulous.
The Ferrari 275P were at the time, such refined machines, it would have been nearly impossible for one of the Fords to beat them that year, especially with the Brits in charge of their engineering at FVO!
In fact they only became reliable once in American hands especially with Phil Remington and Ken Miles telling Shelby what to do.
Philippe de Lespinay
Posted 28 March 2014 - 11:52 AM
Yeah, most of the commentators on these early racing videos didn't have a clue... that's pretty much a given.
My designation of the Ford GT shown as "first" was really not meant as rigorously as you're interpreting it, but rather as the first general body style or design, meaning the one that carried the dark blue hood paint, and as compared to the later cars like the Mark IIs.
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
Posted 28 March 2014 - 11:56 AM
Yep, and they will soon get better...
Philippe de Lespinay
Posted 28 March 2014 - 06:42 PM
Dokk, It is quite literally correct that the #11 car in the video is not the first Ford GT. That car (P101) was destroyed 8 laps into a LeMans testing session. It was, however P103, the third chassis built in the first batch. Same chassis with early attempts to develop the car. We only have to wonder how it would have played out if, as you said, Shelby and his talented crew had not gotten involved. This same car was to score the GTs first victory (and race finish) at Daytona in '65.
It must have been quite exciting to have been there....
Posted 28 March 2014 - 07:02 PM
Philippe de Lespinay
Posted 29 March 2014 - 10:28 AM
In retrospect it is amazing that any of those cars would have, at some point, been considered nearly valueless. Such is the attitude towards last season's race cars.
I have to wonder why Ford took so long to finally decide to solve the transaxle problems in-house. Part of the learning process, I guess. My understanding on the MK II deal was that, if not for the bad input shaft batch, the transaxles were otherwise fine. One small error brings the whole deal down.