A fun GT/GT40 day


dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
Yesterday was a great GT/GT40 day.

In the morning I was over at the Ford Racing offices talking about some stuff re: next summer's Ford GT Rally 10 in Dearborn with Ford Racing Director Jaime Allison and some additional staff. Those guys are great support leading up to our 10th Anniversary homecoming event and it's always fun to talk GT with them. They loved the pics from Rally 9, especially the "family photo" with all the cars and owners over at SAI. He had a new table outside his office that incorporated a magnesium Shelby American Halibrand wheel from one of their race GT40s. I should have paid closer attention but I think he said it was on one of the winning cars. It showed up along with the long lost 1967 Le Mans winner trophy that was recently returned to Ford. The trophy had been secreted away by an individual that had had it for many years, using it for a most unusual purpose (it's sort of shaped like a vase...) before it found it's way back and was restored.

Then last night I was lucky to attend the ceremony at The Henry Ford Museum where Dan Gurney was presented with the museum's Edison-Ford Medal. John Hennessey was going to attend and very graciously arranged for tickets for my wife and I, but regrettably had to cancel the trip at the last minute. Major bummer, but many, many thanks to John for getting me a seat at the table and letting me give his tickets to some SVT employees. It was a really nice event put together by Edsel & Cynthia Ford and there were a good number of racing legends in the room. Obviously Dan Gurney and his wife Evi, Sir Jackie Stewart, Roger Penske, Leonard Wood, Jim Hall, Ray Evernham, etc. And of course lots of Ford luminaries were there including Edsel Ford, Henry Ford III, Jamal Hameedi, Jaime Allison, Raj Nair, etc. I finally got a chance to spend some time with Raj which was great, because he is a real car nut (and he owns 6Y40001) and he's the top engineer in charge of the entirety of product development at the company. Of course I saw Cobrar as well, who is very active within the Henry Ford.

Charlie Rose emceed the evening and after showing a very nice short documentary about Dan Gurney's achievements in racing, engineering, innovation and such, he did a conversation-style interview with Dan on the stage. It was very, very cool. Dan expressed characteristic humility towards his legendary achievements behind the wheel and was passionate as ever about his engineering, past and present. They also brought back the 1967 winner (which of course looked glorious alongside the winner's trophy), which AAR had been repairing because of the damage incurred during a transport "mishap." I think Edsel personally put a lot of energy behind getting this together immediately because Dan is such a legend and Carroll's passing emphasized that the time to to express appreciation is now, and I was really happy to be there for it.

[video=youtube;82NfzehTPWo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82NfzehTPWo[/video]

First Edison-Ford Medal Awarded in 25 Years

Dearborn, Mich. (PRWEB) October 30, 2014

The Henry Ford paid tribute to racing legend Dan Gurney on October 29 during a special ceremony at Henry Ford Museum, awarding him the Edison-Ford Medal for his ingenuity and lifetime of innovative achievements. The Edison-Ford Medal is designed to honor those who fully leverage the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that resides in every one of us. Special guest Charlie Rose, talk show host, journalist and co-anchor of CBS This Morning, served as Master of Ceremonies.

It is a great honor to award the Edison-Ford Medal to Mr. Gurney, whose success and contributions both on and off the race track have played a pivotal role in shaping American auto racing into what it is today, said Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford. We are very privileged at The Henry Ford to be able to share his inspiring story of ingenuity and innovation through our collections with our visitors every day.
In addition to a number of memorable wins in a variety of racing categories, Gurney established himself not only as one of racings most successful drivers, but also as an innovative car builder and team owner. Gurneys wide-ranging curiosity and hands-on attitude have resulted in a number of innovations including the downforce-increasing Gurney flap and the rolling wind tunnel, built at his race shop, All American Racers, to test the at-speed aerodynamics of scale models.

Gurney is also tied to several automobiles that are part of The Henry Fords world premier automotive collection, including the 1962 Ford Mustang I Concept Car driven at Watkins Glen, the 1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car that Jim Clark used to win the 1965 Indianapolis 500, and the 1967 Ford Mark IV Race Car, used for perhaps his most famous win at the 1967 24 Hours of LeMans. After winning that race, Gurney famously sprayed the crowd with champagne, starting a racing tradition.

Dan Gurney is only the second recipient of the Edison-Ford Medal. Established in 1989 on the 60th anniversary of The Henry Ford, the medal was awarded that year to Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the Father of the Quality Evolution.

About The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is an internationally-recognized cultural destination that brings the past forward by immersing visitors in the stories of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation that helped shape America. A national historic landmark with an unparalleled collection of artifacts from 300 years of American history, The Henry Ford is a force for sparking curiosity and inspiring tomorrows innovators. More than 1.6 million visitors annually experience its five attractions: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, The Ford Rouge Factory Tour, The Benson Ford Research Center and The Henry Ford IMAX Theatre. A continually expanding array of content available online provides anytime, anywhere access. The Henry Ford is also home to Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school which educates 485 students a year on the institutions campus. In 2014, The Henry Ford premiered its first-ever national television series, The Henry Fords Innovation Nation, showcasing present-day change-makers and The Henry Fords artifacts and unique visitor experiences. Hosted by news correspondent and humorist, Mo Rocca, this weekly half-hour show airs Saturday mornings on CBS. For more information please visit our website thehenryford.org.
 

dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
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Edsel Ford, Dan Gurney, Charlie Rose
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Charlie interviewing Dan
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Sad face for SteveA not being able to make it:
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twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,053
Las Vegas, NV
Dan is one of the living legends of auto racing.

The video is super!
 

dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
Forgot to post the table:

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cobra498

GT Owner
Jul 14, 2010
310
Central Ca;ifornia
Very nice, Dan is one of the greatest American drivers ever and in my opinion the best because of his ability to win without abusing and breaking the machinery.
 
Sounds like a great event! What are the dates for Rally X?
 

dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
Very nice, Dan is one of the greatest American drivers ever and in my opinion the best because of his ability to win without abusing and breaking the machinery.

I'm sure they'll put up the video of the event soon, but that was one of the topics Dan discussed. He said he really owed that style to Briggs Cunningham, as he was certain he was a faster one-lap driver, but saw that Briggs was managing to finish ahead of him over the course of a race. He subsequently took the more gentle approach Briggs used to racing, and his example was how he went from putting the brake pedal to the floor at 213 mph at the end of the Mulsanne to letting it coast down to around 175 mph, then applying the brakes and seeing what a great difference that made for durability and component longevity.
 

Vince H

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 23, 2012
2,417
Southern California
What an event that must have been to attend. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Vince H
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
I WANT your job!
 

RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
From the Unpublished Archives

Riverside International Raceway - Los Angeles Times Grand Prix for Sports Cars, October 14, 1962:

The Arciero Brothers Lotus 19

View attachment 35987

View attachment 35986

Dan at the wheel -

View attachment 35988

Riverside International Raceway - Los Angeles Examiner Grand Prix for Sports Cars, April 3, 1960:

Dan at the wheel of Old Yeller Mark II -

View attachment 35989

Nürburgring - German Grand Prix, August 4, 1963:

Dan at the wheel of a Brabham-Climax -

View attachment 35990
 
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Vince H

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 23, 2012
2,417
Southern California
Such cool pics Ralphie.

Vince H
 

BAT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Oct 11, 2012
946
Central Mitten
That's awesome. Are the cars still on display?
 

GKW05GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 28, 2011
2,755
Fayetteville, Ga.
I WANT your job!

That is a long line!!!
 

dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
That's awesome. Are the cars still on display?

The museum owns the Mark IV so it will be on display permanently. The 68/69 winner is on loan, but I'm sure it's going to be there for quite a while. Cobrar on the forum will definitely know for sure.

They are getting together funding for a permanent, fully-interactive exhibition called Racing In America. I sat with the museum director last night and talked quite a bit about their plans for it. Sounds like it will be really awesome when it comes to fruition fully in a couple years.

http://www.racinginamerica.com

http://www.racinginamerica.com/donate
 

Cobrar

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jun 24, 2006
4,017
Metro Detroit
Very nice write up, Dave. :thumbsup

Little to add, except just one item from a private conversation I had with Dan. I caught him alone standing in front of the red MKIV seemingly just looking into the cockpit of the GT, not saying a word, probably just taking it all in. When his eyes finally shifted, I approached him and asked, "I know where we can get some gas out back, would you like to take a lap? " A broad grin crossed his face, one that I'll never, ever, forget. "You bet!!" was his reply.

This man is a true American hero.
 

Matech GT1

GT Owner
Apr 2, 2009
340
London
Very nice write up. A life-memory for you.
 

THamonGT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Great coverage of a Memorable Event. Thanks for sharing all with our Special Group Dave and Cobrar. I still widh Dan would run for President.
 

Donsbad89

New member
Sep 3, 2014
2
Flat awesome!
 

NorthwoodGT

GT Owner
Jun 12, 2009
1,215
Michigan
very cool for sure!
 

GTdrummer

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Mar 13, 2010
2,104
Richmond Virginia
Great stuff. thanks