HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes
HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes
HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes
HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes
HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes
HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks - Cars & Vibes

HEEL TREAD Ford GT40 Socks

In the 60s, a dispute between two titans of the automotive industry, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, became one of the great legends of motorsport and laid the foundation for all mid-engine supercars.

A new design for an old favorite.

In the first half of the 60s, Scuderia Ferrari dominated Le Mans, achieving an indelible patina of peak performance and robustness that was the envy of the industry.

Despite its success in Motorsports, Ferrari's business was struggling financially, and in 1963 Henry Ford II approached Enzo in an attempt to buy the Italian marque. The talks came to an abrupt end when Il Commendatore realised his winning Scuderia was an integral part of the deal. A disgruntled Ford instructed its racing division to create a machine that would beat Ferrari - "OK, then let's beat him up," he reportedly used-thus beginning what has become one of the greatest feuds in racing history.

However, despite all this motivation, Ford did not have any real plans or the racing knowledge needed to accomplish such a monumental task. So they turned to Roy Lunn to start the new GT program based on the Lola GT.

What he presented in June 1963 was the GT40 MkI, a mid-engined racing car that was only 40 cm tall, along with an idea for a road version. Apparently, cigar-chewing Ford executives agreed at first glance. Bruce McLaren was hired as a test driver, and in April they thought to try the car on the tracks. They failed spectacularly with all DNF results, including the 1000 km of Nürburgring and Le Mans. This led to a change in management. Carroll Shelby and his relentless ambition were apparently what the project needed. In came the Cobra's 7.0-liter V8 and a new ZF transmission. Also new, Ken Milles enters the list of drivers.

At Daytona in 1965, the GT40 MkII gets its first win, with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby at the wheel and a podium at Sebring the following month. Although there were encouraging signs, the rest of the season was rather gloomy, reaching the maximum fiasco at Le Mans, when the five GT40s failed to finish and had to watch Ferrari win.

But then came 1966. And with it, the 1-2-3 wins at Daytona and (the controversial) Le Mans. In the following years, the GT40 would win consecutively four of its six Le Mans entries. And a series of other GT events around the world that have made Ford world champions for three consecutive years.

There were design and mechanical flaws. There have been accidents. People died. But in the end, Ford had made its revolution. It showed the world beyond a shadow of a doubt that the common man's car manufacturer could play with the elite and beat them at their peak.


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Size
  • M/36-40
  • L/41-46
HT-GT40-Review-Socks-L
In stock
€8.13
Shipping within 1-3 days

 

In the '60s, a dispute between two motor industry titans, Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari, became one of the great legends of motor racing and laid the foundation for all mid-engined supercars.

A new design for an old favourite.

In the first half of the 1960s, Scuderia Ferrari dominated Le Mans, achieving an indelible patina of peak performance and toughness that was the envy of the industry.
Regardless of its motorsport success, Ferrari's business end was struggling financially and in 1963 Henry Ford II approached Enzo in an attempt to buy out the Italian brand. Talks come to an abrupt ending when 'Il Commendatore' realized that his winning Scuderia was an integral part of the deal. A disgruntled Ford directed his racing division to come up with a machine to beat Ferrari - "OK, then we'll kick his ass", is reportedly the expression he used -, thus starting what became one of the great feuds in racing history.

Yet, despite all this motivation, Ford had hardly any real plans or the racing expertise needed to accomplish such a monumental task. So they turned to Roy Lunn to start the new GT programme based on the Lola GT.
What he came up with in June 1963 was the GT40 MkI, a mid-engined racecar that stood a mere 40in high, along with an idea for a road-going version. Apparently, the cigar-chomping Ford execs signed off at first sight. Bruce McLaren was hired as a test driver and by April they thought to give it a go at the tracks. They failed spectacularly with all DNF results, including the Nürburgring 1000km and Le Mans. This led to a change in management. Carroll Shelby and his relentless ambition were apparently just what the project needed. In came the 7.0-litre V8 from the Cobra and a new ZF transmission. Also new, Ken Milles enters the driver's roster.

At Daytona in 1965, the MkII GT40 scores its first win, with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby at the wheel and a podium in Sebring the month after. Although there were encouraging signs, the rest of the season was pretty bleak, reaching peak fiasco in Le Mans, when all five GT40s failed to finish and had to watch Ferrari take the overall win.
But then came 1966. And with it, the 1-2-3 wins at Daytona and (the controversial) Le Mans. In the following years, the GT40 would win consecutively four out of its six Le Mans entries. And a slew of other GT events around the world that made Ford a world champion for three straight years.

There were design and mechanical failures. There were crashes. People died. But in the end, Ford had made its revolution. It showed the world, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the common man's car maker could play with the elite and beat them in their prime. 

80% Combed Cotton, 17% Polyamide, 3% Elastane.
We use seamless knitting to create a sock with no stitches.

Wash inside out (40ºC/100ºF max). Do not tumble dry, iron, bleach or dry clean.

Supplier reference
HT-GT40-Review-Socks-L, HT-GT40-Review-Socks-M
1 Item
5607311999976
HT-GT40-Review-Socks-L
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