06/19/2026
This Day in Auto History
6.19.1966
Ford GT40's took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the 24 Hours at Le Mans, the first time an American car manufacturer won the classic 24-hour race. The win wasn't easy for Ford. It came after years of testing and much money spent to improve engineering efforts. And it wasn't until Carroll Shelby took over the program that the GT40 won. Although this 1966 Le Mans race is noted for the Mk IIs sweeping the top three positions, the finish itself was quite the controversial affair. Ford had decided that the Bruce McLaren/Chris Amon and Ken Miles/Denis Hulme cars should cross the finish line together, for two reasons: It would be the first time ever that a pair of cars would take the overall victory at Le Mans, which would drive home the point that the car, a Ford GT, and not a driver, had won the race. The top two cars had completed 360 laps, and the third place Ford completed 344 laps, nine laps in front of the first Porsche which finished fourth.
This was also the first win for an American constructor in a major European race since Jimmy Murphy's triumph with Duesenberg at the 1921 French Grand Prix.
This graphic shows the Tomy slot car versions of the four Ford GTs that ran the 1966 Le Mans.
