1968 Ford GT 40 and its Remarkable Le Manns Victories

All GT40S are special, but this particular Ford, chassis 1075, is a member of a select club of Le Mans 24 Hours competitors. It won the French endurance classic two years in a row – a feat very few cars have ever managed.

In 1968 John Wyers’ JW Automotive, sponsored by Gulf Oil, became the Ford factory representative in the World Sportscar Championship after the Blue Oval – peeved that its 70-litre entrants were no longer allowed to compete – withdrew direct Works support. I pictured this car, chassis 1075, at Concours of Elegance 2023, and found out that it was newly constructed for that year, but to the Mk1 design. It was built on a leftover Mirage M1 tub, and was fitted with glassfibre bodywork; it was one of only two GT40s to be produced in this manner, the other being its JW Automotive sister car for that year.

No. 1075 didn’t get off to a great start, with transmission troubles ruling Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman out at the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring. It would go on to take three victories before it reached Le Mans, however.

Taking place in September after civil unrest earlier in the year, the 24 Hours would be an epic showdown for Ford and Porsche to settle the WSC. The Stuttgart challenge soon faded, but JWA couldn’t be complacent – a third of the way into the race, the team had only one competitive car, that of Lucien Bianchi and Pedro Rodríguez, deputising for Ickx and Redman due to Formula 1 injuries. Despite an extra three hours of darkness compared with the usual Le Mans date, along with heavy rain, the duo finished five laps ahead of their nearest challengers to give Ford the manufacturer’s title.

For 1969, again the car’s initial race ended in retirement, but alongside Jackie Oliver, Ickx returned to the cockpit in fine style. The duo took victory at Sebring by a lap, and this set up one of the most famous Le Mans 24 victories ever.

Porsche had been leading for 90 percent of the race with Vic Elford and Richard Attwood in the new 917LH, and Rudi Lins and Willi Kauhsen in the 908LH, but both succumbed to gearbox failure. This left 1075 in the lead, with Hans Hermann and Gérard Larrousse hard on its tail in a 908LH. Hermann and lckx would trade positions repeatedly over the last hour. Due to a timing issue both had to do an extra lap, which meant fuel was critical. lckx masterfully let Hermann by early on the Mulsanne, faking fuel starvation, and then slipstreamed by him down the 5km straight. lckx held onto the win by 120 metres and a matter of seconds – the closest Le Mans finish ever. This would be the car’s final race; it was later retained by Gulf and displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s museum.