Which Ford Motor Company division developed the 1966 Le Mans-winning GT40?

Ford Advanced Vehicles developed the GT40 that won the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford created the British-based division to manage development of its endurance-racing program in Europe.

The program followed Ford’s failed attempt to acquire Ferrari in the early 1960s. Ford then decided to challenge Ferrari at Le Mans, one of the world’s most demanding endurance races. The first GT40s struggled with reliability, but extensive engineering and racing development improved their performance.

Ford won Le Mans overall in 1966 with a GT40 Mk II, ending Ferrari’s run of victories in the event. The winning car was entered by Shelby-American and driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, while Ford Advanced Vehicles had been central to the project’s development.

Shelby-American is therefore closely associated with the victory, but it was not the Ford division that developed the GT40 program. Ford Advanced Vehicles was later absorbed into other Ford racing operations.