Le Mans 1967: The Ford Mk IV Pit Lane

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

Before a single lap was run in June 1967, Ford's challenge was already on display. In this archive photograph, the Ford prototypes stand angled along the pit straight at Le Mans, with the dark No. 1 Mk IV nearest the camera, the white No. 2 beside it, and more Fords stretching back towards a packed grandstand.

Which cars are in the photograph?

According to the Racing Sports Cars race record, both lead cars were Ford Mk IVs entered by Shelby American. No. 1 was shared by Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt; No. 2 by Bruce McLaren and Mark Donohue. Behind them are No. 57, the Shelby American Mk IIB of Ronnie Bucknum and Paul Hawkins, then the Holman & Moody Mk IVs, No. 3 for Lucien Bianchi and Mario Andretti and No. 4 for Denny Hulme and Lloyd Ruby, with No. 5, a Holman & Moody Mk IIB, beyond.

Above the cars, the pit boxes are lettered FORD 3 and FORD 4, and spectators fill every level of the pit buildings.

How the race unfolded

The race began on 11 June 1967. Gurney and Foyt won outright in No. 1, completing 388 laps and 5,232.9 kilometres. McLaren and Donohue brought No. 2 home fourth, 359 laps completed. The race was far harder on the rest of the line-up: Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 all retired after accidents, and No. 57 stopped with valve trouble after 271 laps.

Why 1967 matters

It was Ford's second consecutive Le Mans victory, and it came with an American-built car driven by two American drivers. It was also a high point of Ford's Total Performance era, when the company promoted, in The Henry Ford's words, “sportier cars, higher-horsepower engines, and a revitalized racing program.”

About this print

The low, angled line of cars makes a strong horizontal composition for a study, garage or office wall, with a great deal of period detail to discover in the crowd and pit buildings. View archive image 0001-4708 to choose a framed print, canvas, ChromaLuxe metal or Giclée.

Photograph details

• Event: 24 Hours of Le Mans, 11 June 1967
• Cars identified: Ford Mk IV Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4; Ford Mk IIB Nos. 57 and 5
• Winners: Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, No. 1, 388 laps
• Archive reference: 0001-4708

Next story: Sebring 1964: Shelby Cobra No. 12 after dark

Sources: race facts from Racing Sports Cars (Le Mans 1967 results and entry list); quotation from The Henry Ford, Total Performance publication.