Unleashing the rampant horsepower of its global ‘Total Performance’ campaign, Ford funded many racing stables but could never quite commit wholeheartedly to the world’s most rewarding and highly publicised sports car racing series.
The Ford Motor Company took “Total Performance” seriously. When it stepped into motor racing with fanfares around the globe, it planned for worldwide success. Its 1963½ models in America marked the beginning of Ford’s open defiance of the agreement among the U.S. automakers dating from 1957 that they would not openly use racing to promote power and speed. Now, hot Ford-powered cars were everywhere: Indianapolis, rallying, stock-car racing, drag racing, Le Mans and soon Grand Prix racing. Ford let the world know it was back on the track—and proud of it.
