the fastest lap for an American OEM on the Nordschleife has now been set by the Ford GT Mk IV, and it set a lap at 6:15.977 (thank you Dale! ) So, the only competition, is what, a Corvette? Cadillac doesn't have a factory race car anymore, do they?

So, yes, unlimited funding and engineering expertise can make a winner. Ford proved that in 65 with the GT 40s beating all competition at Le Mans. 

But, does it really mean anything useful? So, Ford can build a race car... what, that's supposed to be news? or some accomplishment? 

A track-only vehicle classified in the prototype category — is the fastest car currently available for purchase, to lap Nürburgring . 

It's cheaper to buy a race car that can get around it faster, that's something I'm pretty sure of...

Ford has a production schedule for 67 of these, I'm guessing 2/3rds of them are going to be investment only purchases, never taken to a track, and flipped in less than 5 years. 

https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-gt-mk-iv-nurburgring-record

not photoshopped, no one would ever put a WW2 Jeep in a photo at a race track!

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1498213005333195&set=pcb.1498214085333087

probably a kit car, but, I bet it's crazy fun to drive

 '67 Ford GT40 MKIV built by David Guadagnoli 

https://www.sema.org/news-media/enews/2025/45/sema-announces-battle-builders-top-12/-25ss

Looks original to me

Claudia Schiffer and Nicholas Hoult in a drag racing theme commercial between a GT 40 and a Bizzarini? Why would those cars ever be across a starting flag from each other?

 

https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Tommy-hilfiger-launches-the-hilfiger-racing-club-campaign-with-nicholas-hoult-and-claudia-schiffer,1757550.html

https://hero-magazine.com/article/282325/tommy-hilfiger-hit-the-racetrack-with-nicholas-hoult-and-claudia-schiffer

I'm guessing the list of who owned the select few GT 40s would show it was only the famous, and the rich and famous. Cena notably tried to sell his before his 3 year ownership contract expired, and now Gretzky's 2006 is for sale, with only 1,226 miles

It was originally delivered new to Gretzky wearing that iconic Gulf Racing-inspired livery and the legend’s own number adorning the doors – #99.

https://fordauthority.com/2025/04/2006-ford-gt-formerly-owned-by-wayne-gretzky-is-for-sale

https://news.dupontregistry.com/ford/wayne-gretzkys-former-1226-mile-ford-gt-heritage-edition-is-for-sale/

the story on Cena was from 2017 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/12/sure-people-buy-and-sell-cars-for.html

Karlo Flores left México when he was sixteen. He came back to race La Carrera Panamericana, racing something no one has ever seen at La Carrera, the GT40. And they made a film about the whole adventure

https://petrolicious.com/articles/gt40-panamericano-the-film-a-team-challenges-tradition-to-race-a-le-mans-car-in-mexicos-famous-road-race

GT 40

 https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/gallery-ford-gt40-historic-shots

There was only one Mustang SS... the Super Snake, and I just learned the engine in it was pulled out of the GT40 racer that won four successive 24 Hours of Le Mans

The rarest engine to ever feature in an American muscle car is the mighty 427 ci Super Snake V8 featured in the one-off Mustang SS.

Built for a promotional event with tire manufacturer Goodyear, the decision was made to build a special 427 ci V8 for a standard Shelby 500. 

Lifted from the Ford GT40 racer that won four successive 24 Hours of Le Mans events, it produced 520 hp. It would never be used again, making it the rarest engine to ever feature in a production muscle car.

https://www.hotcars.com/rarest-engines-american-muscle-car/

Ken and Carroll

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=429432629433921&set=a.308151688228683

with all the coverage I've seen and shared of the recent MCACN, I thought it had been well covered. Nope. Here's Old Car Weekly showing a lot of cars that no one else did

placed 3rd at 12 hours of Sebring in 1966

Rocky Mountain purple, I posted about these years ago, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-rocky-mountain-insurance-company.html an insurance company painted them this eye catching color, and gave them to it's insurance salesman as company cars to increase the salesman's interaction with possible customers, as a lot of people will stop and talk to someone with an interesting car

the 487" stroked hemi GTX that was street racing in Detroit, and pulled a 10 1/2 second quarter mile. The engineers at Plymouth used it as a development mule after work on Woodward Ave

http://www.silverbulletgtx.com/history/bullet.html

or read Car Craft's write up (good one!) and full gallery http://www.carcraft.com/featuredvehicles/906_1967_plymouth_belvedere_gtx/index.html

A Beaumont

 https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/old-cars-muscle-car-timeline

Oh, this ain't sung well, but, it's the lyrics are spot on... Ford G.T. by Jackie and the Giants - who seem to be ripping off the melodies from My Little GTO, a AND Little Deuce Coupe

She was dreamed up in Detroit, on a Saturday afternoon
and she looked good on paper at the time

then they started to producer her back in 1964, 

and she's become a legend in her time

She's the Ford GT, hottest in the Gran Prix

set a track record

for the low et

the Ferrari couldn't catch her

the Maseratti couldn't take her

the Lola's couldn't shake her

She's the GT Ford

She lined up with the best

then she lasso them in

(Can't make out the next two lines) 

Written by B Russell, who also wrote the no.1 hit "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", the Grammy Award-winning "Little Green Apples", and Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey"

he was the husband of Vicki Lawrence between 1972 - 1974

https://www.discogs.com/artist/566437-Bobby-Russell

Ford has been in the process of preserving and digitizing its historical documents for years, but its wealth of historical Australian documents can't taken out of the country, because of some law

the vast amount from Ford's collection can be enjoyed by Blue Oval fans everywhere via the automaker’s recently launched Heritage Vault.  https://fordheritagevault.com/

 Now, Ford of Britain is getting in on the game with the launch of the brand new Heritage and Innovation Center, too.

The Ford of Britain collection – which contains around 120 historically significant vintage vehicles – has now been moved to the brand new Heritage and Innovation Center in Daventry, which is located at the Daventry Parts Distribution Center site. The collection contains a wide array of historically important Blue Oval vehicles, including cars and commercial models, as well as important milestone vehicles and race cars. 

https://fordauthority.com/2022/12/ford-of-britain-launches-new-heritage-and-innovation-center/

spotted in a magazine, then at the SEMA Optima Challenge

https://www.motortrend.com/events/optima-ousci-race-las-vegas-sema-show-2022

Holman Moody are still building GT 40s

hand crafted masterpieces are still being made

 https://thetinmansgarage.com/project/aluminum-shaping-demo-of-1966-gt40-mki-frontend-project/

in Germany today

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10229362747998994&set=gm.5555145704538506&idorvanity=507045602681900

crazy crash at Goodwood Revival, Lola and one of the most valuable GT40s which was just restored in 2019

Dame Diana Rigg with a real GT 40 in the 1960s British TV show The Avengers

 thanks Rjud! 

SuperPerformance had a sweet stable of race cars in their booth