If nothing else, the new Ford GT program shows the enormous value an automaker can mine from its history. Over time, though, heritage can slip through the cracks. Chassis P/1046, which won Le Mans in 1966, is a prime example. Our testing director Don Sherman, who drove the car 25 years ago, recounts its meandering journey from obsolete parts donor to priceless treasure.
In January 1966, Shelby American’s California shop took delivery of a bare chassis identified as P/1046?the 47th GT40 from Ford Advanced Vehicles’ 87-car production run. The Shelby crew completed this car to campaign it at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the hands of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, it qualified fourth in the 55-car field, two seconds behind the pole-winning GT40 driven by Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant. Before the race was half over, all 14 Ferraris were parked. Overheating stopped Gurney and Grant at about the 17-hour mark. With two hours remaining, the GT40 driven by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme passed the McLaren/Amon car for the lead. But Miles and Hulme were robbed of the win by Ford racing boss Leo Beebe’s attempt to orchestrate a three-abreast finish. Officials awarded the laurels to the McLaren/Amon effort because they had started the race farther back on the grid, and they did, in fact, cross the finish line first.
Chassis P/1046’s glory was short-lived. Following stints as a test mule, it ran in the 1967 Daytona 24-hour race but dropped out, along with four other...