The Ford GT40 at 1:8 scale

Our extraordinarily detailed 1:8 scale model of the Ford GT40 is based on chassis #1075, exactly as it raced and won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969, emblazoned in the iconic blue and orange Gulf Motor Oil livery. Driven by Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver for the John Wyer Automotive Engineering team, the #6 car recorded the closest-run competitive finish in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, and one of the greatest in the history of motor racing, beating Hans Hermann’s Porsche 908 by just 120 metres (390 feet) after 372 laps. Following 24 months of deep research and intense development work, with the assistance and cooperation of the Ford Archive and Heritage department and Gulf Oil International, the finished model, measuring nearly 51cm (20in) long, earned approval from the automotive historians at Ford.

The 1969 edition of Le Mans was a a classic underdog story: Porsche had already wrapped up the World Sportscar Championship and were strong favourites to take their first Le Mans win. 16 Porsches competed, more than a third of the field, and Porsche did indeed lead for 90% of the race. However, the leading 917's gearbox broke at 11 a.m and the Ford of Ickx and Oliver took over the lead. The race ended in a 3-hour sprint, with the Ford battling exhaust problems whilst being pursued by the Porsche 908 of Herrmann and Gérard Larrousse, who themselves contended with mechanical issues affecting the brakes and engine. Ickx knew if he led onto the Mulsanne straight, Herrmann would pass, but he could slipstream past him back again and then hold a lead for the rest of a lap. The cars crossed the finish line with less than a minute to go and so needed to complete one more lap. The Ford had only ever done 23 laps on a tank of fuel, but now suddenly needed to gain an extra lap. Ickx faked a lack of power from fuel starvation, letting Herrmann pass him early on the Mulsanne Straight, before using the slipstream to pass him again just before the end of the 5km straight. Ickx held off Herrmann to cross the line first, denying Porsche for another year.

Discover the Ford GT40 at 1:8 scale: https://www.amalgamcollection.com/pro...