LE MANS miniatures Ford Mk II Le Mans 1965

Choose a version :

• N°2 driven by: Phil Hill - Chris Amon Retirement after 7th hour (transmission)
  Lap record: Hill in 3'337’’5 = 222.803 km/h
• N°1 driven by: Ken Miles – Bruce MacLaren Retirement after 4th hour (gearbox)

Specifications :

• Body : Polyurethan resin
• Complete Slot-it chassis including rims and tyres
• Weight : 99 g

The involvement of Lola cars in the GT40 project had been terminated by mutual content after numerous logistical obstacles and a clash of personalities. Ford had created two new subsidiaries to take over the programme, Kar Kraft managed by Roy Lunn and Ford Advanced Vehicules under John Wyer. The racing operations were taken over by Shelby American.

From Summer 64 Roy Lunn launched the study of the Mk2 by Kar Kraft. Two new chassis were delivered by FAV with a big 450 bhp engine and a four-speed gearbox.

A longer nose is designed inspired by the model tested during qualifying in April. It is fitted with a wider opening on the front bonnet to extract the air instead of the two air outtakes V-Shape to make easier the cooling of the bigger radiator. To solve the stability problems with high speed due to the new power and couple obtained a blooming of spoilers and other drifts in front as in the back completely modified the Ford GT40 for Le Mans. The spoke wheels are replaced by lighter and stiffer rims in magnesium; there was a doubt about their ability to cool the brake system. Dunlop tires are replaced by Goodyear ones.

Phil Hill took the pole position with the Ford n°2 and it is Amon who took the wheel on the start grid. And the Maserati of Jo Siffert was the first on move, followed by the Fords of Chris Amon, Bob Bondurant and Bruce McLaren, but John Surtees put his Ferrari into third place during the opening lap. After Siffert had crashed on the fourth lap, McLaren and then Amon set new lap records.
McLaren kept the first place until his first pit stop to refuel after only 17 laps. In the 24th lap he took back the lead to the Ferrari 330 P3 car number 19 of Surtees, but had to stop again to fill the fuel tank that was not full on the first pit stop. When Ken Miles left the pit in the 5th position, he did not know yet that he will not be able to reach again the head of the race: he was stopped again because of gear box problem and had to retire at the beginning of the 4th hour racing after 45 laps.

Chris Amon in Mk2 car number 2 stayed in 2nd place until McLaren first pit stop. But from the beginning of the second hour he must go to the pit to repair an oil leak on the transmission. The P2s took back the advantage thanks longer relays, a lower consumption and especially thanks to their experience in Le Mans.

When Phil Hill took the steering wheel to Chris Amon they were 12 laps back. He decided to attack the lap record which he will beat three times before reaching 3’37’’5 that are 11’’7 better than his own previous record of June 1964 on Ford GT 40 car number 10. After 7 hours racing the Mk2 n°2 raised of the 35th position to the 21st, but it lost its clutch due to a broken oil seal.

The expected duel between Ferrari and Ford did not take place. It should have been a cruise for the five new Ferraris. Instead, their performance fell apart, too. The American private team of the Ferrari car number 21 of Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt won the race while all Maranello Concessionnaires cars abdicated. Only one Ford (Cobra Daytona number 11) crossed the finish line on the 11 Ford entered. Ford needs an additional year and additional expenses to win Le Mans.