The Decision
Ford’s latest video series documents the Ford GT’s path to Le Mans
By Steve Turner
Photos by Steve Turner and courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Any fan of Blue Oval racing knows that the return of the Ford GT to the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a big deal. Just the return of the Ford GT is exciting enough, but when paired with the return to a race that means so much to the history of Ford Motor Company, it’s the kind of big deal that merits a documentary series.
In this case, it’s a five-part series, and the first installment of The Return series, titled The Decision, hit the Internet today. It features appearances by Bill Ford Jr., Raj Nair, Dave Pericak and Edsel B. Ford II—who was lucky enough to attend the 1966 race with his father Henry Ford II.
“I think we’ve always been thinking about building another Ford GT,” Raj Nair, Executive VP, Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer, said. “I think what drove it was the 50th anniversary of the win in ’66 coming up. We felt we really had to do something to honor that win… It represents honoring our heritage. Our heritage is very important. At our heart, we’re a family company.”
“I always say ‘we work for a company called Ford Motor Company, but we actually work for a family—and that’s called the Ford family.’” Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Performance, added. “So it’s important for us to be able to go back to Le Mans and do it in a way that celebrates the heritage and also, hopefully, if we’re successful, give the Ford family something I would love to give them, which is that trophy.”
You can get a glimpse at that level of family commitment by watching Chapter 1 right here…
[video=youtube;qd-HyazYbCU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-HyazYbCU[/video]
Of course, the pressure of returning to the historic race on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s huge win is not lost on the people involved in the decision or the process.
“You race to win. You don’t race to hope you do well. You don’t race to have a nice looking car. You race to win,” Bill Ford said.
“Sure, it’s a big risk, but not when you add in reputation, halo effect, and the morale boost it gives anybody who loves the Ford brand,” he added. “This car will, in the scheme of our earnings, not make much difference. But in the reputation of Ford Motor Company, which is something I care deeply about, this car will be huge.”
To ensure that the process is documented for the ages, this group of five video shorts will eventually come together as a long-form documentary that follows the development of the street and race versions of the Ford GT through to the appearance of the race cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
A new, five-part documentary series will follow the Ford GT from its development as a street and race car to its return at the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
