TBT: How a Poor Showing at ‘The Green Hell’ Actually Helped Ford Win at Le Mans

Ford has had several big moments in motorsports history at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, one of the world’s most revered tracks. There have been wins with Capri, Escort, and Sierra throughout the 1970s and ’80s, as well as additional victories earned by the Ford-Cosworth DFV engine in the German Grand Prix at “The Ring.” 

But there’s another memorable moment at Nürburgring that helped set up possibly the most famous moment in all of Ford racing history: the competitive debut of the Ford GT40, which would go on to win four consecutive years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966 to 1969. 

“The Ford GT is more than a car,” said former Ford Vice President Lee Iacocca upon the debut of the GT40. “It’s a test of Ford engineering skill and ability.”

Less than a year after Ford famously declared it would take on Ferrari and the world’s best, the Ford GT40 was turning practice laps at Le Mans. But its first run at Circuit de la Sarthe was far from the glory Ford would find there with a 1-2-3 finish two years later. One of the two practice vehicles was wrecked after leaving the roadway, while the other suffered a minor collision. 

The surviving car from the Le Mans session was modified for Nürburgring with the addition of a spoiler. The GT40 qualified second for what was then known as the Nürburgring 1,000 Kilometers and ran strong early before retiring at the 2.5-hour mark due to a suspension bracket failure. 

There would be further challenges throughout the 1964 season, which proved to be a learning exercise in the development of the GT40. However, the car would ultimately find victory lane at Daytona in 1965 and several other locations. More recently, those early GT40 prototypes that set the foundation for repeat victories at Le Mans were immortalized with the 2022 Ford GT Heritage Edition.

Going back to the ‘Ring

Today, Ford is returning to Nürburgring to test another icon, the Ford Mustang GTD, against the world’s best. The company is seeking to become the first American automaker to record a sub-seven-minute lap at the course, deemed “The Green Hell” by Sir Jackie Stewart, who won multiple German Grand Prix races there in cars powered by a Ford-Cosworth DFV engine.

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