Ultimate Ford GT40 – The Definitive History Vol 2

The Ultimate Ford GT40 project has proved to be a mammoth undertaking. This landmark work will comprise four volumes, which will build into a unique in-depth study of the GT40. From its roots in the early 1960s through the challenges of its formative racing career, to four consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victories, every aspect of the GT40 and its remarkable history will be analysed and documented.

Porter Press has published the second volume of its landmark four-volume work Ultimate Ford GT40, which chronicles the Le Mans-winning sports-racing car in unprecedented detail.

Volume 2 investigates the origins of the GT40, including Ford’s initial plan to buy Ferrari, the story of the Lola Mk6, from which many design cues were taken, and subsequent development of the Ford GT project. It details the design and build of the prototypes and early production cars, and the extensive testing programme, followed by the setting up of FAV and the arrival of Shelby and the GT40 Mark II. The competition début of the car is chronicled, along with all the 1964 races in which the GT40 competed, and the 1965 races up to and including Le Mans.

The authors have been granted unique access to several thousand pages of original 1960s documentation produced not only by Ford, but also by its agents Ford Advanced Vehicles and Shelby American. With the cooperation of the Ford Motor Company, many previously unseen photographs have been made available to illustrate the GT40 throughout its design build and racing career. Additionally, other photographers and agencies have delved into their archives to come up with pictures which hitherto have not been seen in print.

This fascinating and substantial collection of new material, complemented by previously unpublished interviews with many of those involved with the GT40 in period, has enabled the authors to produce an unparalleled history of the car, providing much new insight and analysis.

Volume 1 of Ultimate Ford GT40 (978-1913089719), providing chassis records and photos for every GT40 built, was written by Ronnie Spain and published in December 2024.

Volume 2 begins the chronological history of the GT40, from its roots in the early 1960s through the challenges of its formative racing career.