Ford v Ferrari starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale may not have been a complete truth, but it gets the audience to the edge of the seats more than once. There was some amazing intellect put behind the birth of the GT40, and of course, there was the diss Ferrari gave to Ford.

Updated January 2022: If you've taken an interest in the Ford GT40 and want to know more about this iconic race car, you'll be happy to know that we've updated this article with even more facts.

Automakers are legendary for their enmities, and the awesome ways they play it in the public eye. Like the time Ford launched the Mustang, to which Chevrolet rolled out the Camaro, introducing it as a “beast that eats Mustangs”. Disses and snubs are common between competing automakers – which is why the Ford vs. Ferrari “enmity” also falls into the legendary category. These carmakers were making very different kinds of cars, and while Ferrari is yet to make a cheap and affordable car for regular people, Ford managed to outfox Ferrari with the GT40, winning Le Mans three years in a row in the process. That's enough reason for us to call the GT40 one of the greatest race cars ever.

16 Born Out Of A Grudge: Ford Vs Ferrari

Henry Ford II and Leo Beebe At 1966 24 Hrs Of Le Mans
Via MotorsportMagazine

In the early 60s, Ford wanted to make itself more exciting. One way to do it was to develop an all-around track star. To do so, they decided to buy the bankrupt Ferrari and join hands with Enzo Ferrari when it came to racing. Ferrari sold itself to Fiat at the last moment, and Henry Ford II, livid, ordered Ford execs to smash it at Le Mans, or else…

15 Not Completely American At First: The British Lola Mk6

The British 1963 Lola Mk6 GT Was The Father Of Ford GT40
Via WallStreetJournal

The GT40’s prototype was made by Roy Lunn, who took the Lola Mk6, put a Ford V8 in it, and hired Aston Martin’s ex-team boss John Wyer to further it. Later, Lola’s owner clashed with Lunn while at the same time Ford wanted everything built to their specifications, which is not how it worked for formula cars.

14 The Fastest Ford Ever, All American: The Mk IV

The All-American 1967 Ford GT40 Mk IV
Via HemmingsMotorNews

The Mk I, II and III prototypes of the GT40 were built in Britain. The Mk IV then became all American, and the first formula car that Ford built on its home soil. Four of these were built to race in the Le Mans, and the rest, as they say, is car and Ford history.

13 The GT40's Best Feature

le-mans-icon-ford-gt40

The best feature of the 1966 Ford GT40 is the engineering behind it and the V8 that powered Ford into previously uncharted territory. The Ford GT40 wasn't in commission for long, but its impact had far-reaching effects for both Ford and racing. The original GT40 was as bare as they come, but this was due to the fact that it was made for one purpose and one purpose only, and does not diminish the fact that the car's heart was its key feature. Ford showed the world that pure performance is the best feature any car can have.

Related: This Is The Best Feature Of The 1966 Ford GT40

12 Those Crazy Engine Specs And That Crazy Engine

Ford GT40 Mk II preps for Le Mans
Via RoadAndTrack

The Mk II car changed racing history forever. The GT40 Mk II was equipped with the 7.0-liter V8 borrowed from the Ford Galaxie. Outputs started at 484 horses, but it could be tuned at will. Later, for 1968, rules made the engine size drop to a 4.9-liter V8, though they were still as powerful as ever.

11 The Speed And Power That Made Henry Ford II Cry

Henry Ford II Car Crying Scene In The Movie Ford Vs Ferrari
Via TheAustralian

In the movie, Shelby locks Beebe in and hauls away Henry Ford II in the prototype to show him what the GT40 can do. In the movie, it makes Henry Ford II cry. We don’t know if that happened at all, but for the 60s, a 210mph top speed could make any grown man cry, for sure.

10 Several GT40s Were Totaled

Ford GT40's 1-2-3 Finish At 1966 Le Mans
Via TheDrive

The first two prototypes of GT40s crashed and were totaled, with two months left for the 1964 Le Mans. Eight months of work gone in two days of testing. They showed up for the '64 Le Mans with three more cars – all crashed or caught fire. Thankfully for the GT40, and Ford, Henry Ford II stuck to his guns and vowed to return for 1965.

Related: Legendary GT40 Goes Electric as Everrati Forms Partnership with Superformance

9 The Deaths Caused By The GT40

Ken Miles At 1966 24 Hours Of Le Mans
Via Pinterest

Bob McLean lost his life at the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours, ensconced in a GT40. And then, of course, there was Ken Miles, who died, trapped in a burning J-car, which was yet another prototype of the GT40, set in a honeycomb frame. The GT40 proved to be a great car, although with a murderous streak.

8 Before Ken Miles, There Was Bruce McLaren

Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti Posing With Ford GT40 Mk IV
Via FordAuthority

The movie may have concentrated more on Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, but Bruce McLaren has to be equally lauded for his work on and in the GT40. The first test driver of the GT40 wasn’t Ken Miles but Bruce McLaren, and he was also the winner of the 1966 Le Mans, defeating Ken Miles over a technicality.

7 That Winning Moment But Not For Ken Miles

Ford GT40's 1-2-3 Clean Sweep At 1966 Le Mans
Via USAToday

By 1966, Ken Miles had won both Sebring and Daytona. Had he won Le Mans also, the win would have been more his and less Ford's, or perhaps that's what Ford thought? So yes, he was asked to slow down for that classic 1-2-3 finish and ended up losing the title to Bruce McLaren over a mere technicality.

Related: Doug DeMuro Reminisces On Racing His 2005 Ford GT Against A $3 Million Ford GT40

6 Were Miles And Shelby All-Important?

Ken Miles, 12 Hours Of Sebring
Via Time

To be honest, there was something special both about Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, and their partnership. We don’t know if the grocery-spilling fistfight from the movie was true, but we do know that the Shelby American racing team made history in the GT40. And Ford did lose a gem in Ken Miles, as did Shelby. But the show, as they say, must go on.

5 The Records Set By The Car, And Ken Miles

The Legendary LeMans-Winning Ford GT40
Via TopGear

The first win by the GT40 was at the 1965 Daytona, with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby at the wheel. Sebring followed, but Le Mans was another damp squib. 1966 was a total win – 1-2-3 finish at Daytona, followed by a Ken Miles win at Sebring and then that 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans. The GT40 was at its best in 1966, often with Ken Miles at the wheel.

4 It Wasn't As Easy As It Looked

Ford GT40 At 24 Hours Of Le Mans
Via AutomotiveNews

Cars crashed and caught fire. People died. Transmissions failed. The GT40 was a monumental effort, literally a revolution against Ferrari, to prove that the common man’s carmaker could churn out whatever it put its mind to. Making it fast was easy, making the GT40 last was the problem…

3 The Legend Continued Till 1969

The price of legendary carr acing is more than $10million
Via WheelsAge

1969 was the last model year of the GT40 – and its five-year run had managed to produce 107 cars. This was the last year Ford reigned at the Le Mans, making the 1969 win Ford’s fourth consecutive Le Mans haul. This was also the closest finish between two cars, the GT40 and the Porsche 908.

Related: Here's How Much A Classic Ford GT40 Is Worth Today

2 Other GT Cars Are A Tribute To The Original

2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition
Via YouTube

There have been plenty of Ford GTs thereafter – all paying homage to the original 40-inch tall car. However, nothing Ford has made has come close to the kind of magic the GT40 brought to the track, ably driven by Ken Miles, McLaren, Wyer, and many others. The others are good cars, but a mere shadow of all the GT40 managed to achieve.

1 That Near $10 Million Car

1966 Ford GT Mk II That Finished Third Was Auctioned For Around $10 Million
Via Sotheby's

How much would you pay to own a piece of racing history? One of the 1966 Mk II GT40s found a special home with someone, at a really special, almost $10 million price. Frankly, you cannot put a price on a legend, and the GT40 has been the king of all legends and Ford’s biggest achievement yet.