The Return of the American Supercar

For Ford, 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the first of four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is to date, one of Ford's greatest racing achievements.

In 1966, Ford set out to build a car the that would not only compete, but destroy the competition.  One company in particular, that Ford wanted to feel its wrath, was Ferrari.  The whole reason Ford wanted to race in the first place, was because Henry Ford II hated Enzo Ferrari.(A bad business deal)  Yep, you've heard that name before on this blog, same guy that called Ferruccio Lamborghini farm trash.  With the help of the late Carol Shelby, Ford built the car that would finally give America its first win in Le Mans' history, the Gt40.

GT40

Gt40

Given this name because, GT stood for grand touring, and the number 40 represented how tall the car was, 40 inches. The car went on to win three more races at Le Mans.  

Fast forward almost 40 years later in 2005 Ford released the ford GT  to commemorate the Gt40's birthday.

Ford GT

Ford GT

Now, rumors are floating around that Ford is developing a successor to the Ford GT.   We might get to see the car hit showrooms in 2016. But there is also a chance a race car might be in development as well.  The car would mark the return to Le Mans, for Ford, in over 40 years.

Rumors also suggest that we might see a prototype of the new car at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, witch starts in January of next year.

Fingers crossed.




Picture Credit: in order of appearance
http://www.roadandtrack.com/racing/racing-news/more-signs-point-to-ford-le-mans-program-and-ford-gt-revivalhttp://www.netcarshow.com/ford/2006-gt/800x600/wallpaper_03.htm

The Birth of the Supercar

A little bit of a history lesson this week. I know, but bear with me.

Back in 1966 at the Geneva motor show Lamborghini changed the game.  But before we get into that lets talk about the man with the master plan, Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini.

Ferruccio Lamborghini was a wealthy tractor builder.  Who in his wealth developed a love for expensive luxury cars.  One of the cars that Ferruccio owned was in fact a Ferrari, which was the crem de la creme of italian sports cars.  Ferruccio armed with the knowledge from his tractor engineering felt that his Ferrari could have been built better.  He felt the need to tell the company head, and founder, Enzo Ferrari, the way he felt.  Lets just say that the meeting didn't go great and Enzo wrote Ferruccio off as a lowly farm boy.  So in spite of Enzo, Ferruccio decided that it was time to start building cars that could give Ferrari a run for their money.  So in 1963 the car company Lamborghini was born, and the rivalry between Ferrari and Lamborghini was forever cemented into the world of cars.

Now lets fast forward three years after Lamborghini opened its doors.  The year was 1966 and it was the year that everything changed for cars.

The supercar story starts here, with the Lamborghini Miura.

Cars before the Miura had been fast, had been beautifully designed, and had insane performance specs.  But only one car manufacturer decided to put it all together, and that was Lamborghini.  The Miura came equipped with a fire spitting V-12 engine, wrapped in a light weight aluminum and steel body.  The car could rocket to a top speed of 175 mph, which is fast even for todays standards.  The car became an instant hit for Lamborghini, and changed what it meant to be a sports car, or now, a supercar.

Ferruccio Lamborghini set out to beat Ferrari at his own game.  In doing this he created a new class of automobile.  One that would cover the walls of car enthusiast for years to come.  The DNA of the Miura is present in every super car built after 1966, the genesis of supercars started here, thank you Ferruccio Lamborghini.

Photo Credit 
1.  http://www.lamborghini.com/en/people/ferruccio-lamborghini/
2.  http://www.lamborghini.com/en/masterpieces/miura/