1967 - 1969 Ford GT40 Mk III - Images, Specifications and Information

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One of the reasons Lola's Eric Broadley left the Ford GT40 project was Ford's decision to construct the monocoque chassis in steel, instead of the lighter aluminum suggested by Broadley. Ford intended to offer a road going example of the GT40 and Broadley feared too many concessions were made to ever make the GT40 a success on the track. He was proven partly right, with Ford struggling in the first couple of years, whereas the aluminum chassis Lola Mk VI GT it was derived from, proved to be fast straight out of the box. Eventually the decision to put the GT40 into production paid off, when it was homologated to run under the new regulations of 1968, which resulted in the third and fourth GT40 wins at Le Mans.

The first road cars were almost identical to the production version of the GT40 racers. Around thirty of these racers were produced, which helped to push the fifty car homologation limit set for 1968. When Ford was no longer allowed to run their prototypes, they withdrew from the project and sold their factory in the UK to John Wyer's JWA. Construction of cars continued here for a short while and they were responsible for building and preparing the 1968 and 1969 Le Mans winning chassis. Another project started by JWA was to build a new road car that would comply with the stricter North American regulations.

Dubbed the Mk III, the new road car was a clear departure from the previous road cars. The nose was changed to adopt four circular lights, replacing the two square units used on the race car. Space was freed to fit a luggage box by changing the exhaust design and modifying the rear bodywork. Inside the most important change was found; a central gearchange. This allowed for left hand drive instead of the standard right hand drive, which was one of the drawbacks of the original road cars. Comfort was increased by fitting softer springs and re-routing the cooling tubes.

Although these modifications made the GT40 Mk III more compliant with the regulations, they also took much of the GT40's beaty away. Between 1967 and 1969 just seven cars were constructed, reflecting the customers lack of interest. In this niche market the Italian marques still reigned supreme.

Featured is the last Mk III constructed and also one of the very last GT40s built. It is pictured here at the 2004 Le Mans Classic, where it supported the European launch of the Ford GT.