Mustang to Le Mans? No. GT40? Yes!
Earlier last week, Road & Track tried to goat Ford into coming back to Le Mans with its newest Ford Mustang. Alex Nunez put up a very passionate and logical argument for the Blue Oval to return with a GT contender. I’ve even covered the rumor that Ford may return to compete in the Prototype class with one of its IMSA DP cars, but here’s the thing: I’d rather the Mustang not return. What I want Ford to do is bring back the GT40 for another go.
Ford GTs are still raced all over the country, even though they left production a number of years ago. It shows that Ford has the know-how to build championship-winning racecars that stand the test of time. Ford shouldn’t put its time and energy in creating buzz for a car that has never lacked buzz. What they need is a car that can take it to the likes of Chevy and their Corvette C7.Rs. The Mustang, while more powerful and lighter (in body) than the previous version, doesn’t have the pedigree in racing that the Corvettes have built up in the last decade.
Ford needs to assert itself on the racetrack once again. What better way than to bring the historic GT40 nameplate back and firmly assert itself in this century? It’s already making waves in the IMSA series with its EcoBoost engines — now it needs to propel itself even further. Ferrari is possibly making a comeback to the historic race, Porsche has come back with a new Prototype, Toyota is getting better and better each year with its cars, and Corvette has been one of the most dominant teams around. If Ford returns to the “twice around the clock” race, it needs to bring not only a Prototype version of its DP, but also a moniker that truly has historic international racing significance. The Mustang doesn’t need any more press to sell the car or sell Ford. Bringing back a GT40 … now that would create real buzz.