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Weekend Docco: This Time Tomorrow – the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans

Submitted by on July 7, 2017

1966 24 Hours of Le Mans GT40

Dan Gurney driving a Ford GT40 Mk. IV in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Image: TheCahierArchive©

Put your feet up and head back to 1966 with This Time Tomorrow, a documentary recounting Ford’s historic performance in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Ford GT40 made its debut at the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres in 1964, kicking off a competition campaign to unseat Ferrari as the kings of endurance sports car racing. Three GT40s entered the 1964 24 Hours Le Mans a few weeks later, but all three would be laid low by the unforgiving epic.

Carroll Shelby took over stewardship of the GT40’s racing and development programme in 1965 and Shelby-American would enter Mk. II cars in the ’65 24 Hours of Le Mans, one driven by Phil Hill and Chris Amon and the second driven by Ken Miles and Bruce McLaren. The #2 car driven by Hill & Amon claimed both pole position and fastest lap, although it, along with its sister car and three Mk I. cars would not see the full race distance.

1966, however, was Ford’s year, and the story is well known by now. This Time Tomorrow, produced for Ford, tells it well, featuring plenty of race coverage and behind the scenes footage, as well as some wonderful colour footage covering the spectator experience.

Image: TheCahierArchive©

Buy prints of these photographs from just $49

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