Pace Car For An Entire Company - twice!
http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2012/06/14/fords-1967-lemans-winner-returns-to-europe/
http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2012/06/14/fords-1967-lemans-winner-returns-to-europe/
1967 Ford GT - A Bit of History
- Thread starter Cobrar
- Start date
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
My guess what they meant by "slow" revving is actually "low" revving. I was told by Gurney that after the first few practice sessions in '67, they found they could lower the revs on the MKIV's from 6500 to 6000 and still pull the Ferrari's by 4 to 5 mph down the Mulsanne, even with the Ferrari's trying tuck in and draft. With the smaller liter higher revving motors being run by Porsche and Ferrari at the time, 6000 reline was considered low. Back then the Achilles Heal of the 427 at Le Mans was blowing head gaskets, which is what took Gurney out of the lead very late in '66 in the #3 MKII. Had this not happened it most likely would have been a 1, 2, 3, 4 finish. They believed lowering the revs in '67 would help this.
If you get the chance, ask Dan about the brakes on those cars. I'm sure he has some good stories to share about preserving them.
fjpikul
GT Owner
If you have not seen the car in person, you would not believe how small it is compared to our GTs. It is housed in the Ford Museum in Dearborn unless touring.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I've mentioned this before after seeing a friends Superformance GT40 and mine next to each other. Smaller in every dimension. If you gutted the Ford GT except for the body shell I'd think the GT40 could fit entirely within.
SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
He didn't think the cars brakes were necessarily bad, just that the car was so fast and heavy with a cast iron big block and full of fuel, it was just a real load to get stopped. He said that when on a qualifying type run at Le Mans and if he wasn't trying to take care of the brakes he could destroy a set in two laps. He (as well as CS) credit Phil Remington with coming up with the solution allowing drivers to beat on the brakes during the race by designing a way to swap out the pads and rotors in almost the same time it took to fuel and change a driver. This allowed the drivers to be more aggressive on the track without paying a price in the pits. Then there is the famous story of he and Michael Parkes dueling for many laps in the middle of the night. Dan says he could easily pull the Ferrari down the Mulsanne even with Parkes in the draft. However Parkes caught on that Dan would let off and coast for several hundred yards before the typical beginning of the breaking zone in order to scrub off some speed first without using his brakes. Parks would slowly fall back as they headed down the straight then as Dan first eased off, then lifted completely towards the end Parkes would tuck back up behind and start flashing his lights on the back of the Ford. The Ferrari was much lighter and could take more abuse to the brakes so Parkes would drive it deeper into the turn. Dan believed Parkes who was several laps down at this point was trying to get him to break or at least use up his brakes. It became obvious to Ferrari they weren't going to run down the leading MKIV so it became the plan to try and break it. This went on lap after lap until Dan became so irritated that he pulled off the course and onto the grass at the Arnage corner and stopped, to his surprise Parks did as well pulling up just behind. After what he said seem like minutes but probably less than one, Parkes pulled up along side and stopped. They both just stared at each other for what seemed like another eternity then Parkes slowly re-entered the track. Dan then did the same and shorty there after passed Parkes "with attitude" and never saw him again on the course. He says he and Parkes have never talked about the duel, there were no cameras present, still or tv but a very cool painting of them parked on the side of the track hangs on the wall at AAR. This story has been told and repeated many times but what isn't common knowledge is that while these two were parked on the side of the track the pits crews were going bonkers. Remember this was before the day of in-car radios and computers so all communications were done with stop watches and chalk boards. He said he was told after his driving stint the crews in both the Ford and Ferrari pits were loosing their minds while they all eyed their stop watches, the seconds kept clicking off one after another as neither of the cars appeared. Both teams were certain that the drivers had taken each other out in a crash.
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That's the story I was referring to (re: Ferrari strategy and the bit about pulling off to let him pass). Good stuff!!
2112
Blue/white 06'
MAD IN NC
Proud Owner/ BOD blah bla
yep - agree, have pics of my son and me next to it at Rally 1........ loved the spare tire it had to have, not that you coud ever get it out.
"If you have not seen the car in person, you would not believe how small it is compared to our GTs."
Is that ever true. A friend of mine has 1966 body (not wide rear clip ala 1968-9) MkV Safir car. With the clamshell off and the front clip removed there's basically nothing to it.
Is that ever true. A friend of mine has 1966 body (not wide rear clip ala 1968-9) MkV Safir car. With the clamshell off and the front clip removed there's basically nothing to it.