1966 Ford GT40 MkII 7-litre (chassis no P/1016)- Le Mans Classic is not happening this weekend and it’s Independence Day in the US so here’s one of the famous winning Ford GT40s from 1966.  This car was the third of the trio that gave Ford its famous 1-2-3 first victory over Ferrari at Le Mans in ’66.  However, in many ways it was the more important of the three cars in achieving the win, as it was the car that had put in the most pre-race development time to sort out the overall design and make the GT40 ready for the 1966 attempt.  In the actual Le Mans race the car was driven by Ronnie Bucknam and Dick Hutcherson, an established NASCAR and dirt-track driver.  In development the car was driven principally by Ken Miles and Ronnie Bucknam, who was key to Honda’s F1 programme too.  The car was one of three delivered to Holman-Moody to run in 1966.  Holman-Moody was one of three factory-approved teams for the GT40 programme, following the programme’s re-organisation for 1966, and had established its credibility running Ford’s highly successful NASCAR program.  The car was originally painted in Ford’s traditional white colour, with a black hood.  Whilst the chassis number of P/1016 was within the normal production sequence, it and the other 1966 GT40 race cars were modified to a MkII spec which included a stiffer chassis with thicker-gauge steel, strengthened engine mountings and  advanced suspension using two-way adjustable Koni dampers. Endurance was also enhanced with a stronger driveshaft and Kelsey-Hayes ventilated disc brakes.  The cars also now sported the  427 cubic inch ‘big-block’ V-8 that Ken Miles had immediately concluded should be used following his first test with it in 1965.  Holman-Moody’s significant experience running the engine in NASCAR generally allowed them to set it up for 450 bhp, and that was combined with dry-sump lubrication and lighter aluminium heads and a magnesium oil pan to save weight. The MkII body was similar to the MkI, but both wider and taller to accommodate larger wheels and it also sported additional rear engine/brake cooling scoops and an adjustable spoiler.  Chassis 1016’s racing debut was at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hour race, where it used an experimental two-speed auto-box, which failed in the race.  Soon after it raced at Sebring sporting the Kandy Gold livery (without the pink highlights) for the first time, but only managed 12th and after that the auto-box was removed.  By the time of Le Mans, the helmet bulge had been added to the roof/driver’s door of the car and the matte Day-Glo pink highlights had been added to its livery on the nose and sides of the car, as it wears today.  The car started at number nine on the grid and reached 3rd place within a lap before gradually dropping down to 10th place suffering braking problems.  After a major pit stop in the night several hours in to the race, it slowly closed its way back up the field, reaching 4th after 11 hours and 3rd again after 17 hours, where it remained through the final stages of the race.  After Le Mans the car served a period of time touring US Ford dealerships as a promotional car, before in early 1967 being used as a ‘test mule’ by Holman-Moody for the latest variant of the GT40 the MKIIB.  In February 1967 it was driven at Daytona again but this time by Mark Donohue, but without success.  This was the last ‘in period’ race appearance by the car.  It was used for further testing, including at Le Mans, where powered by the latest variants of the 7-litre engine giving out some 490bhp it recorded a speed of 203mph on the Mulsanne straight piloted again by Mark Donohue, which placed it as the fourth fastest lap time overall.  After this the car was on display and passed through various owners with some vintage race appearances, before in the early-1990s being restored to more or less its 1966 Le Mans spec with the exception of a few Mk IIB upgrades (roll cage, aluminium instrument panel and automatic fire extinguishers).  As a vintage racer the car has been driven by a number of famous Le Mans veterans such as Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx, amongst others, and has been a regular racer as well as being on display at numerous events globally for many years.  There were eight GT40 MkII cars built, but with its gold and pink livery P/1016 is perhaps the most easily recognisable one of them apart from having a clear place in Le Mans and motorsport history.  It is also an extremely valuable car having last sold at auction in 2018 for just under $10 million.  The pictures here are from the car’s appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2009 and at the Goodwood Revival in 2013.