Ford

Ford entered Le Mans legend through the most famous industrial revenge in motorsport history. In 1963, Henry Ford II saw his takeover of Ferrari collapse at the eleventh hour. The response was monumental: a programme built around the GT40 with a single objective — beat the Italians on their Sarthe home ground. After two years of failure, the harvest began in 1966. Shelby-American's GT40 Mk II delivered a historic 1-2-3, marked by the controversial staged finish that denied Ken Miles victory in favour of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon — an episode later immortalised on screen in "Ford v Ferrari". In 1967, Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt won aboard the Mk IV: American car, American team, American drivers — an all-American triumph that remains unique. Then came the 1968 and 1969 victories with John Wyer Automotive Engineering's Gulf-liveried GT40s, including the unforgettable 1969 edition, won by Jacky Ickx by a handful of seconds after he had walked across the track at the start in protest at the traditional sprint procedure. Four consecutive victories, from 1966 to 1969, changed the scale of the event and placed the Ford-Ferrari duel in sport's pantheon. Ford later returned to La Sarthe through the GT ranks: in 2016, fifty years after the first triumph, the Ford GT won the GTE Pro class, symbolically closing the circle before the programme ended in 2019. Absent from the Hypercar grid in 2026, the Blue Oval has nevertheless announced its return to the summit of endurance racing with a programme targeted at 2027. Until then, its Le Mans legacy remains among the most powerful of all: that of a mass-market manufacturer that came to challenge Europe's racing aristocracy — and beat it four years running. For now, the GT40 remains the yardstick: proof that at Le Mans, willpower backed by method can topple any dynasty.

• Country : USA
• Founded : 1903
• Le Mans wins : 4
• First win : 1966
• Last win : 1969