- <p>Ford GT wasn't really Ford. The first GTs were built by Lola, a company in the 1960s. Ford bought several for the Le Mans. In, 1965, Carroll Shelby began to develop the Lola GT's into a better car. They called GT40, for its 40 inch height. They failed miserably, the gear boxes, suspension, etc. failing under endurance problems. Then Shelby, a retired Le Mans racer came and helped make the GT. In 1965, Ken Miles came into the project. The did major airflow improvements, added fiberglass, and, surprisingly added a larger 7-liter, 427 ci engine. They still failed, however. Next year, they made more improvements and finally won the Le Mans. They are the only American company to have ever won Le Mans.
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