[SCOBRAC]

It was Henry Ford II's passion. It wasn't just Le Mans. Ford competed in every form of motorsports in the 1960's and won. For those unfamiliar with the story, the Ford GT40 dethroned Italian automaker Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most prestigious of all international racing events. Until then, Ferrari had pretty much owned Le Mans, having won the title the six previous years. Ford went on to win again in 1967, this time by the Shelby-American team in a GT40 Mark IV driven by Americans A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney. A Ford GT40 won again in 1968 and 1969.

Ford's domination at Le Mans over those glory years in the 1960s is itself a fascinating chapter in the history of international endurance racing. But perhaps even more interesting is that Ford accomplished this amazing feat in just over a few short years of planning and development. It took tens of millions of dollars and millions of man hours to do.

If you want to achieve something badly enough, you go for it with everything you've got. That's what Ford Chairman Henry Ford II did with his "Total Performance" campaign. The whole GT40 story, the determination to surmount overwhelming odds and become the best, and beat Enzo Ferrari at his own game.

I have the 1966 Le Mans race on CD if you care for a copy let me know.