The legendary #1 GT40 that Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt won the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans is at Gurney’s All-American Racers for freshening for the future.
One of the racecars American racing legend Dan Gurney is most closely associated with is the Ford Mark IV that he and A.J. Foyt took to a historic victory at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gurney will get a chance to become even more familiar with the car he helped make famous when his All-American Racers shop in California takes possession of the car’s conservation on behalf of Henry Ford Museum, it was announced today.
“I don’t think we could have found a better person or better organization to conserve this very special racecar,” said Christian Overland, executive vice-president, The Henry Ford. “Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt made this Mark IV famous with their win at Le Mans, and to have Dan, his son Justin, and their employees take on the job of conserving it for future generations seems so right. There is no doubt in our mind they will take the utmost care in this job because of what this car meant to their family’s history.”
Gurney and Foyt, above, teamed with legendary car owner Carroll Shelby to run the Mark IV at Le Mans. Their victory in 1967 remains the only time an All-American built car (built by Kar Kraft), powered by an All-American engine, driven by American drivers and fielded by an American team has won Le Mans overall, below.
“I am looking forward to getting re-acquainted with one of the great cars from my career,” said Gurney, chairman, All-American Racers, Inc. “After all those years, we are still loyal to Ford, and our company cars all bear the blue oval.”
“The younger generation of engineers, fabricators and mechanics at All-American Racers is excited and proud to help conserve this car, which is of such great historical significance,” said Justin Gurney, president and CEO, All-American Racers, Inc. “We thank Ford and Henry Ford Museum for entrusting this special task to us.”
Recently in Europe, it was on display at several events last year marking the 45th anniversary of the Le Mans win. While in transport, the car sustained some minor damage, which will be repaired during the conservation.
The famous red No.1 car, powered by a 7.0-Liter Ford big-block V8 engine, was specifically designed for endurance racing. It has a NASCAR-style roll cage around honeycomb panel construction. It was one of only six Mark IV’s built for competition, and this one featured what became known as a "Gurney-bubble," a round indentation on the roof to accommodate Gurney’s head and helmet.
It hit approximately 220 mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, an incredible speed even today. Gurney and Foyt took the lead at 90 minutes into the 24-hour event, and ended up winning by four laps!
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Check out this video, http://www.newspressusa.com/public/ViewPressRelease.aspx?pr=33466&pr_ref=3130
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