The original Ford GT 101

The Ford GT with chassis number 101 might itself have had a rather unfortunately career, but it was the precursor of Ford’s winning streak at Le Mans in the late 1960s. It all began with Henry Ford II’s idea to win the world’s greatest sports car race and, when Ford’s aim to take over Ferrari failed in 1963, the US automobile giant decided it would build its own sports car. This was the birth of the legendary Ford GT. Less than a year later, Ford brought two cars to the Le Mans Test Weekend – with one of them being chassis 101. Ford had used this very first GT chassis for most of the development work and for the first official presentation of the Ford GT. But during the Le Mans test, Jo Schlesser lost control of the car and destroyed chassis 101 in an unpleasant crash. Almost fifty years later, Ford collector Claude Nahum decided to recreate this very special Ford GT. His copy is so true to the original that it was awarded the prize as the best re-creation in the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. In this large-format book, author Ed Heuvink tells the full story starting with Ford’s history in motorsport up to the GT project. He explains the role of chassis 101 in detail and reviews the 1964 racing season as well as the later successes of the GT40. Additionally, he details the re-creation of chassis 101. Illustrated with a lot of unseen images and limited to only 999 numbered copies, the book comes in a slip-case and includes a foreword by Henry Ford III, the grandson of Henry Ford II and an introduction by Richard Attwood. It is simply a fantastic addition for the collection of any Ford or sportscar enthusiast.