Ford Motor Company
Ford GT40 MkII P/1012 Birth
The Transatlantic Engineering Genesis of a 7-Litre Endurance Weapon
Late 1965
The Ford GT40 was designed by Ford’s British subsidiary, Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV). Following the failure at Le Mans in 1964, Ford entrusted Carroll Shelby with developing the car further by replacing the 289 engine with a larger 427. Two prototypes were entered in 1965 (P/106 and P/107) which, despite retiring from the race, demonstrated their immense potential against the Ferraris. This led Ford to build a series of eight upgraded GT40s, which they named the MKII (427 engine, Karkraft gearbox, reinforced chassis, and improved aerodynamics). The first two produced (P/1011 and P/1012) were tasked with endurance and aerodynamic testing in late 1965.
Chassis Fabrication, Aerodynamic Design, Powertrain Integration
Chassis Construction & Lineage
Carroll Shelby used the chassis from the MKI (he had the chassis delivered as a running chassis, but without an engine or gearbox). Drawing on the experience gained in 1965, he reinforced the chassis to make it stiffer so that it could accommodate the greater weight of the engine and gearbox, as well as the significantly higher power output. He therefore developed these components further to improve the car’s reliability and performance. This ongoing development of the MKII models meant that each one was slightly different from the others.
Factory Integration Strategy
The Shelby American team modified the suspension set-up, redesigned the rear bonnet to improve cooling for the engine, gearbox and brakes, and redesigned the front bonnet to accommodate larger tyres, whilst specialist engineers at Kar Kraft reinforced the gearbox to ensure it could withstand the enormous torque of the 427 engine.
Assembly Progression
Every part of the car has been meticulously modified and optimised: the engine’s dry-sump oil system, the oil cooler repositioned to improve cooling, extensive aerodynamic testing (long bonnet, short bonnet, modified air intakes), the installation of a telemetry system – a world first… numerous developments to the engine, cylinder heads and fuel system were tested on the P/1012. Internal documents from Ford and Shelby bear witness to this.
The philosophy behind the construction of these MKIIs was to prioritise the car’s endurance and reliability rather than focusing on weight reduction. The large 7-litre engine may have been heavier, but it was extremely reliable and perfectly suited to the long straights of the Le Mans circuit, the ultimate goal.
Completed Factory Specification
The final version of the GT40 MKII, developed during intensive test drives in late 1965 by Ken Miles, Ronnie Bucknum and others using chassis P/1011 and P/1012, subsequently proved that Ford’s colossal investment in beating Ferrari had paid off.
PERIOD PHOTOGRAPHS
"The development of the 7-litre MkII platform wasn't an evolution; it was a total re-engineering of the chassis to transform the GT40 from a fast but fragile prototype into an unstoppable endurance tool." — Classic Motorsport Engineering Retrospective
Chassis Registry Credentials
"From its dispatch by the British chassis manufacturer (Tennant Panels), through its partial assembly by FAV, to its shipment to Shelby American for final assembly, the history of chassis P/1012 is fully documented prior to its first race in January 1966: the 24 Hours of Daytona"
— Vintage Automotive Registry Profile & Technical Audit
