A superb and rare photo of the magnificent Ford GT 40 , as seen after during the 24 Hours of Le Mans of 1968 . In
the number 9 Ford GT 40 we
see the team of Lucian Bianchi
and Pedro Rodriguez. This car
was a works car, entered by John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd.
The 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans
was the 36th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on September 28 and 29
1968. It was the tenth and final round of the World Sportscar Championship. The
race was originally planned for June 15 and 16, but had to be delayed until
September due to workers strikes in France. The rescheduled race
increased the chances of the Prototypes against the Sports, as the new
Prototype cars had matured during the season. Prior to the 1968 race,
modifications were made in the run from Maison Blanche to the pit straight,
involving the installation of the first Ford chicane to slow speeds along the
open pit area. The changes added around 10 seconds to a lap. In 1968, the rules
of sports car racing were changed to reduce speed. Like in Formula One,
3.0 L engines were adopted in order to reduce costs by the use of similar
engines for both kinds of racing. Thus, cars with engines larger than
5.0 L were banned from the World championship and from Le Mans, which was the end for the Big Block
Ford (Mk II and Mk IV) and for the Chevrolet-powered Chaparral in Le Mans. Cars with up to
5.0 L engines were still allowed to compete in the Sport category if there
were at least 50 cars built. This allowed old customer cars like the Ford GT40,
the Lola T70 and the Ferrari 275LM to compete against factory prototypes
powered by sophisticated 3.0 L engines. Enzo Ferrari was disappointed to have
to take his P4s to the museum, and refused to compete for 1968, despite having
an F1 engine. John Wyer had to retire his GT40 derived 5.7 L Mirage M1 as
well. Wyer chose to dismantle his M1s and to build new GT40s on the Mirage
chassis which was close enough to the GT40 to comply with homologation. Gulf
GT40s received some of the improvements of the Mirage, and a significant effort
was made to reduce the weight of car using high-tech materials. A large part of
the body was made of a very thin polyester sheet reinforced with carbon fibre.
Wyer entered 3 GT40s but the team wasn't at its best. Its fastest driver, Jacky
Ickx, had broken his leg practicing for the 1968 Canadian Grand Prix, and Brian
Redman was still out after breaking his arm in a crash in the 1968 Belgian
Grand Prix at Spa. The competition was between Wyer's Ford GT40 and the new
3.0 L Matra 630, Alpine A220 and Porsche 908. The new 2.0 L Alfa
Romeo 33/2 were outsiders. The Renault-Gordini V8 engine that powered the
Alpine A220s was disappointing, giving no more than 300 hp (220 kW).
With 350 hp (260 kW), the new 3.0 L air-cooled flat-8 that
powered the Porsche 908 was underpowered in comparison to the new Matra V12,
but the car was light, had very low drag and the highest top speed. Porsche was
much more experienced in Le Mans
and had an advantage in numbers, thus Porsche was the favorite. With Ferrari
protesting, the marque was represented only by privateers. The best Ferrari was
a green 275LM entered in the Sport category by David Piper. This car was
obsolete despite being seriously updated; most of its body was made of
polyester/fiberglass instead of aluminium. Two turbine-powered Howmet TXs were
also entered in the prototype class. The start was given at 15:00 by Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli. The Porsches
began in front. Jo Siffert took the lead on the fourth lap. Then, a litany of
minor electric problems slowed the new Porsche 908s, and some were eventually
disqualified as the new team management had not studied the rules about repairs
properly. One of Wyer's cars had clutch failure at 17:00, the other had engine failure at 22:00. By midnight, Wyer had only one car still in race,
but it was leading. Henri Pescarolo had a stunning performance in the new Matra
630. The car started the race with mechanical problems, which sent it down to a
14th place. But Pescarolo drove the car to the second place under the rain,
despite a windshield wiper failure and his teammate Johnny Servoz-Gavin
refusing to drive the car in such conditions. However, during one of the last
pitstops the car caught fire, and could not continue. The victory went to the
GT40 driven by Lucien Bianchi and Pedro RodrÃguez. Porsche's best finisher was
a private 2.2L Porsche 907 in
second, followed by a works 908
in third, both just one lap behind the winning GT40.
Alfa Romeo's performance was impressive with three cars finishing, the Nanni
Galli/Ignazio Giunti T33 in fourth overall and winner of the 2.0L class. The two other followed as fifth and sixth.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo
that reflects a wonderful era of Ford GT 40 and 24 Hours of Le Mans history in
a wonderful way. This is your rare
chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format
of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm).
It makes it perfectly suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
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We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
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