These old motorsport documentaries are pure gold, the narrator sounds so well educated, knowledgable, and most importantly passionate about their subject.

Went To Le Mans in 1966- the first year the Ford GT-40's won...with Kiwis driving.....I was 23 years old.... Great memories!!

the GT-40 is one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

Just think of that FORD V8 blasting out those fantastic tunes for 24 HOURS !!!

In 1966/7/8/9 I went to the famous nine hour endurance race at Kyalami outside of Johannesberg. At night the GT40s were recognisable by the glowing discs which were a bright red. You could see them before you could hear them. Great days of endurance racing. GT40s always took out 1st and 2nd place.

I wish i could go back in time to this era of racing!

Thanks for the ride, Mr. Moss. RIP.

I love the sound of the granny shifting....good for the transmission, and it sounds so low-tech and raw. No driver aids, just 3 pedals and tons of skill!

It breaks my heart everytime I see the number 11 car on that stand. I know it's foolish but, everytime I watch this, I always hope that Brian don't go on that sand. I love that car, that is still my favorite gt40. The following year it wore number 7, and that is my favorite paint scheme. Oh what could have been had Brian kept it on the track. RIP Bryan,Pedro and Lucien Bianchi. My heroes.

"With a sandbank on the left. Try and keep out of it." Classic Moss

There has to be more GT40 vintage films somewhere. If you have them, please do the world a favor and post them.This was a treat.

ford gt40 is the legend that lives in the dreams of every boy who becomes the man to desire.

Back in the 1960s, Ford was a force to be reckoned with in Formula one and sports car racing.

Whenever I watch this I get an urge to buy Ferodo brake pads....

how's that for a promotional video... when racing was still about racing, great cars, great sounds, great drivers, great times!

That classic Le Mans start was dangerous, but it was good to see.

Love the gulf gt 40 with a passion........Lotus 49 next. ......what an era!!!!

I have an old VHS tape with the beginning lap by Sterling Moss in one of the JW Automotive Ford GT40s. Now I know what it was from! Used to have an old Ford Escort that Ferodo made a set of pads for. Great brake pads.

@1:10 WOW!Times have changed and good too.All you had to protect you from the trees on the side were white paint at the bottom of the trunk.This calls fro PURE SKILL and NO MISTAKES or you're history.🎇 ....Oh but I do love these vintage race videos.CHEERS!

I was born 4 months after this race. Would have loved to witness Le Mans during this era. That GT40 was one tough looking car.

Golden ages ... I was there when i was a kid , i saw the 908 , a sound you can"t forget ...

Ken Miles “You know, I’d rather die in a racing car than get eaten up by cancer”- Ken Miles Many of you reading this have no idea who Ken Miles is, or his life of racing. Indeed, in the history of racing, Ken Miles and his life may be but few pages, compared to the chapters upon chapters of men such as Enzo Ferrari or Carroll Shelby. However, his story marks an incredible turning point in the story of these men, Ford Motor Company, at the time undisputedly the most prestigious race in the entire world (Le Mans), and millions of others. “We have nobody to take his place. Nobody. He was our baseline, our guiding point. He was the backbone of our program. There will never be another Ken Miles”- Carroll Shelby Ken Miles life of racing is a tale of triumph and tragedy. He developed the car that broke the greatest dynasty in the greatest race in the world, and yet not only was he robbed of his greatest achievement, but perished attempting to do it all again. And all of this was when he was 47 years young. “That’s up to you sir, isn’t it?”- Ken Miles when asked by a rich and naïve person if they could become a race car driver Miles grew up in England, and was a tank driver in World War II. He never said very much about the war, but could often be seen at racetracks wearing an old jacket, much like a knight would wear his suit of armour after victory in a joust. After the war, Miles fell in love with racing and moved to Hollywood, where he became a fixture on the sports car scene for the next two decades. Often in cars that he himself had made, he dominated and even ran a tuning shop for a time. However, because he was a racer in the 50’s, he had one small problem: no money. Eventually in early 1963 the shop was foreclosed, and Miles had no choice but to join up with a Le Mans winning, fast talking, tough Texan by the name of Carroll Shelby. “How would you like to work in a snake pit for a real snake?”- Carroll Shelby conducting a job interview for a new secretary. In 1962, after Ford Motor Company decided to get back in the racing business generally in order to stop Ferrari’s dynasty in Le Mans (More on that later), Shelby, who retired in 1960 from active competition due to a bad heart, showed up on Ford’s doorstep with a unique proposition. “With $25,000, I can build two cars that’ll blow off the Corvettes”- Carroll Shelby Ford approved, and Shelby decided to get a crew of “hot rodders” together to build what would become the first Cobra- Miles would become the competition director, driver, and test driver for Shelby America. The program quickly became a remarkable success- by the summer of 1963 the Cobra was the hot item for all the celebrity’s, and even had a top 40 radio hit named after it (“Hey Little Cobra”). “… we at Ford have a great respect for you.”- Ford Executive “Yes, I know. Like America respects Russia”- Enzo Ferrari in response In 1964, Ford brought a decidedly English car (The GT40, heavy but powerful) to Le Mans with one goal: to stop Ferrari’s dynasty at Le Mans (Including 1964, Ferrari had won at Le Mans 6 times out of the 7 previous years, 1959 being won by Carroll Shelby in an Aston Martin), and, well…… they lost. Badly. None of the cars made it through the night. Ford made the choice to hand the GT40 project from “Mr. Aston Martin” John Wyer to Shelby America, after the Cobra won the GT class in Le Mans that year. Ken Miles was named the official test driver for the prototype. “I am a mechanic. That has been the direction of my entire vocational life. Driving is a hobby, a realization for me, like golfing is to others”- Ken Miles Miles was never supposed to race the car in competition; Ford had built a Hall of Fame driving roster featuring such names as AJ Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, a young Itallian-American by the name of Mario Andretti. But Miles couldn’t stand watching somebody else drive the car he had helped to develop, and so he found himself in a Shelby GT40 come the 1965 Daytona Continental 2,000 KM race. 12 hours later, Miles and co-driver Lloyd Ruby found themselves in victory lane, as the Shelby bunch finished in the top 5 positions overall. It was the first win in 40 years for an American manufacturer in international competition, and there was no better time or place for either Miles or Ruby. Le Mans, however, proved a different task. “I feel our chances at Le Mans are very good indeed. These cars were built for Le Mans”- Ken Miles In the 1965 Le Mans 24 hour, it was Ford’s race to lose. Phil Hill broke the track record in qualifications in a Shelby GT40, and during the first pit stops the drivers were laughing at how much faster the Fords were to the Ferraris. However, by the 7 hour mark, doom had hit Ford- a defective gearbox ruined Miles and his co-pilot Bruce McLaren, while Hill’s clutch went out after setting a new race lap record. Ford once again decided to change directions following the race, this time dividing the Le Mans project into two separate teams- Shelby America and the face of Ford in NASCAR, Holman-Moody. Miles still served as the test driver for all cars, however, and was still in a Shelby GT40 come Daytona in Feburary. “Holman Moody this, Holman Moody that. You know, someday you’re going to get beat, and it better be by Ferrari”- Carroll Shelby to Carroll Smith. Much has been said about “Big” Bill France, but one thing is for certain: he loved to prove, even in his own mind, that everything he did either was the best or was equal to the best. In 1966 France extended the Daytona Continental into a 24 hour race, the only 24 hour race in the entire world with the exception of Le Mans. Shelby knew this, the 12 hours of Sebring, and Le Mans would decide the fate of Ford’s foray into international racing, that if both were a failure there wouldn’t be a 1967 Ford GT40. He made sure Miles was on his team. Everybody was wondering; Could even the Ferraris hold up for 24 hours at Daytona? Most thought the Fords wouldn’t survive, and if they did Holman-Moody would finish the strongest because of their experience on the high banks of Daytona. Miles and Ruby proved the doubters wrong and won the fastest endurance race in Daytona up to that point (Really impressive considering the race was extended by 12 some hours), beating out both Ferrari and Holman-Moody. The next stop was Sebring, and of course Miles won that too, impressively winning in a duel with Dan Gurney that ended with Gurney pushing his car to the finish line after suffering a blown engine in the last few hundred yards. “I am proud for my country”- Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari legend and US citizen Around this time, Ken Miles, at the unlikely age of 47 and after two decades of racing, became a superstar. Miles never attempted the Indy 500, never raced in Formula 1, and yet he was beating the very best in the entire world on some of the biggest stages in the world. “I should like to drive a Formula 1 machine- not for the grand prize, but just to see what it is like. I should think it would be jolly good fun!”- Ken Miles Ken Miles should of won the 1966 24 hours of Le Mans, or at the very least be named the co-winner. But alas, that wasn’t the case. With a few hours left in the race, Ford came to Carroll Shelby with an idea- Miles was a couple of laps ahead of Bruce McLaren, and Ford wanted to attempt to stage a tie. Miles, though, wasn’t happy. “He just couldn’t get over it”- Denny Hulme Eventually, Miles slowed down and allowed McLaren to come back. Both came out of the final turn and crossed the line together. However, Le Mans officials cited an ancient rule that took into account a car’s starting position. Because McLaren started behind Miles, he was ruled to have traveled some 20 more yards than Miles over 24 hours, and was rewarded the victory. “I think I’ve been f***ed”- Ken Miles in the chaotic aftermath immediately following Le Mans A couple of months later, Miles was testing a new Ford prototype at Riverside Speedway. Trying to do it all again and come away with a Le Mans trophy this time, Miles spent all day developing this new car until the final run of the day. “Please be careful in how you report what I have said. I work for these people. They have been awfully good to me”- Ken Miles after giving an interview in the month following Le Mans. Ken Miles was denied being the first and only Triple Crown Endurance Champion in the entire world, and was never given another chance at it. Shelby was heartbroken, even 40 years later. It broke my heart when we lost Ken”- Carroll Shelby Maybe the most shocking and bizarre attribute Miles had on the racing community after his death happened in June of the next year. Mario Andretti had a horrible wreck in a version of the prototype Miles tested at Le Mans, but because of a steel bar Ford implemented after Miles’ fatal wreck, Mario lived. The story of Ken Miles is one of the great What If stories in racing, and yet nobody ever speaks about it. At least now you know the story.

A beautiful, classic 16mm film shot for Ferodo. Used them myself. This film became a valued treasure to me when I saw the Stirling Moss-conducted circuit of Le Mans race track alone

Rest In Peace Dan Gurney, one of the greatest American racer of all time

If I had a gt40.... The streets would no longer be safe ;)

one of the best british cars ever made, fantastic video

I love this kind of vintage footage! Thanks!

Fantastic piece.Cant wait to see if the new "Ford GT" can pull it off 60 yrs later.Vic Elford who drove one of the works Porsche 910 was my first instructor at Skip Barber in 94'.The Ford GT project was America at its best in those days.A book called " Go Like Hell" is an amazing chronicle of this whole project to beat Ferrari ! And they did 4 yrs in a row with 68 and 69 by non "works " crars

One of many great British race winning cars.

Grande Pedro Rodriguez, Ford GT40 - 9

less a documentary about the gt40 and more an advertisement for Ferodo, lol. great clip anyhow.

Awesome sound and speed!!!

Viva Pedro Rodríguez! the best driver in the rain!!!

A fascinating look back. Many thanks for posting.

finely somebody mentioned Pedro Rodriguez, the famous Mexican driver in Le manns

WITH MY MOST DEEPLY GRATEFULNESS and AKNOWLEDGEMENT to Cineform Ltd. /Michael Brandt (producers) BUT OVERALL TO YOU bjwhitegti, for this GIFT (The video; Ford GT40-1968 24 Hours of Le Mans), that is an Historic Feat and a MILESTONE for MEXICANS like your Servant . GOD Bless You bjwhitegti, and THANK YOU AGAIN. REALLY.

Thanks for putting this great old footage on KZfaq.

A truly legendary car. So much history, it's insane!

Very interesting, thanks for the upload.

tank you , j'y étais avec mon papa!!! c'était fabuleux!!!

I love Ford it's my favorite car company

God look at all these beautiful designed cars

Stirling gives superb detailed commentary of every part of the huge race course. Then you realise the wonderful adrenaline rush and spectacular views he describes is probably the last thing on his mind whilst putting his life on the line in battle against do or die competitors Hell bent on taking his scalp at near 200mph over 24 hrs on race day.

Thanks for posting this, a true rare treasure. Now I know why the Gulf color GT's are so popular. The sound is DELICIOUS

Beaut commentary by Sir Sterling Moss at the start of the video !!

You had me with the opening bongos.

wonderful, thank you.

It takes 8 years for YT to suggest this video.. Worth waiting for though!👍

That was very good, really enjoyed that.

No me canso de ver este vídeo y sobretodo escuchar como conducía Pedro Rodríguez

The really amazing part of this is that the Ford GT40's were essentially a 5 year old design which were more or less obsolete even in the 1966 race. Despite all of this the GT40's won in '68 and '69 both! And, with the Ford factory effort ending after 1967 and all of these Wyer and other entries being non factory; certainly compared to the Porsche, Alfa, and Matra entries. The standard thinking that "there is nothing more obsolete than a one year old race car" somehow didn't apply to these GT40's.

A bit of trivia where the rainy weather worked to the J.W. Automotive/Wyer GT 40s in this race: In 1968 the J.W. Automotive team fielding the GT 40s modified the engine's lubrication system prior to the Le Mans race. The car won the race and all was considered well. However, when the Daytona 24 race came around in 1969, where the J.W. GT 40s were subjected to flat-out running for more than 12 hours, one of the cars dropped out of the race due to a cracked engine head after 13 hours; where evidence pointed to the modified lubrication system as the culprit (the other GT 40 dropped out from crash damage). From that experience, it was surmised that if the 1968 Le Mans race had not been slowed by rain, the J.W. GT 40s would have never lasted the distance; giving the victory to Porsche or Alfa Romeo

Pedro rodriguez mexicano ganador de le mans 68

👏👏🙌🙌👍👍 thank you for the upload

Sir Sterling , God speed 💔💔💔💔💔✌️👍🏆🏆🏆🏁🇬🇧 🇺🇲 Beautiful Period. No Mulsane chicanes, White House section still there, just glorious 🇫🇷. This is an excellent story tell ✌️💚💚💚💚💚

excellent slice of time piece

The very best days of racing, never to be seen again.

wow! it's interesting to see how much the circuit has changed over the years!!!

That thing sounds so SWEET !!!

No guard rails at all. Wow. Go off over 200 mph right into the trees. Instant explosions and death. So many died at that track. Still is my all time favourite circuit.

Good stuff, challenges met, nothing like winning! Quality and engineering wins!

Amazing! That guy drove into the sand, finished strong. When I drive into a bunker, I usually get a double-bogey.

Amazing

Groovy 60's music.

Ford GT40. I want one.

Pedro, El Grande.

1960-70, the greatest era of auto racing where FORD dominated much of it.

TWENTY FOUR hours just like that first one shown !! AWE-SOME !!

Even film productions about racing were trippy.

This documentary is too short!

5:30 Wow, the early Bendix Dunlop disc brakes used on Jag, Studebaker, and others (!)

Xlnt presentation!!! I like the music!!! Ford won this 3 years in a row!!! Wow!!! Unfortunate accidents led to several cars being forced out of the race... Cold, wet , cloudy & dark for longer than usual, over 2,700 miles were completed in this grueling race, at an AVERAGE speed of over 115 mph!!! Wow!!! THESE drivers & teams had nerves & guts of STEEL!!!

Groovy man!! Actually, bloody fantastic! Shocking difference in safety standards between then and now, all those cars strewn around the circuit in dangerous locations but the race goes on! Did we cope with danger better then than now?

Truly an amazing car. The fact that the gearbox was trash back then & still came in 1st is awesome. Plus they put that car together in a few short years to beat Ferrari, after he backed out of Henry's offer to buy him out.. The 428 cobra jet was stuffed in & a better mating gearbox was quite possibly the best setup besides the extra weight.

7:00 Lucien Bianchi, Pedro Rodriguez

Very good vídeo, Ford GT40 Ferrari killer!!!

God I want a 16mm print of this film.

Gurney-Weslake heads...so that was the 305 engine, which was based on the new Ford 302 engine (which of course was based on the 289) but it had 4 bolt mains....those 305 engines in '68 were some damn good engines...about 500 hp.

The full 24hr circuit is so different now - it’s great to see how it was 50 years ago!

That seasons ford cars looks modern than other cars ❤

Quelle course de Pescarolo avec la Matra !!!

Was there that year ... held in September after National strikes in France during June!

I've loved those Fords since I heard of them 1903's. Yup.!

Usually I'm a not a fan of US cars ans races cars, but this is the exception. By far the greatest race car and even sport car ever made in USA.

Were it not for in-car shots from this era (first 4 minutes of this video) we wouldn't have such a good view of the parts of the track that no longer exist. In particular, I still wish I could locate in the current layout where the old Maison Blanche (White House) corner was that Stirling calls out here. You can clearly see that David Hobbs is right when he says you could reach out of the car and touch the corner of the house when you drove by it!

This car is badass.

it takes balls to drive a car that fast with brake pads the size of a modern day motorcycles

Grea racing car, several GT40s bodies had movie cámeras mounted on the filming “LeMans” movie starting Steve McQueen

Thanks for the chance to watch this "jewel" ;-)

Pedro was an animal,a legend.

Such a different track compared to today

BEAUTIFUL FAST CARS!!!!!!

If I were on Porsche's marketing team, I'd use the part at 11:27 in my next commercial -- with the original commentary, of course! Haha

Indeed. 1967 was the only "all-American" victory at Le Mans.

Should win an Oscar for sound. Those who saw Ford v Ferrari got cheated, as this is how real race cars of that era sounded, raw and not civilized.

best start ever!!!!

The closest I got to Le Mans was my Ford GT-40 Scalextic race car and watching Steve McQueen's movie.

14:37 "Hey, you forgot to pay your bill at my bistro!"

Note the trees painted white.A.J.Foyt called LeMans,"A little old country road."

Nice to hear Sir Sterling's commentary. .Boy, I miss the LaMans start, that always added a bit to the event. Now, It's all computerized crap. Too fast with nothing for the driver to do but react. I'll take these days, thank you.