Ford GT40 takes center stage at Revs Institute “Pony Pedigree” exhibition
You’ll likely get no argument, even among Ferrari diehards, about the legendary prowess of the Ford GT40. After Ferrari won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans six consecutive times, it was the GT40 that finally put an end to the streak in 1966 … and the car kept on winning the French endurance race through 1969. The GT40’s story—and the rivalry between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II—is so compelling that decades later Hollywood turned it into a blockbuster movie, Ford v. Ferrari.
Now the Revs Institute, located in Naples, Florida, is shining a spotlight on the GT40’s legacy with a special exhibition called “Pony Pedigree,” which features three generations of GT40s. Highlight of the exhibit is an exceptional 1967 Ford GT40 Mark III on loan from the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Collection at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The car is one of only seven built.
“Pony Pedigree,” which runs through July 2024, traces the iconic model’s evolution from the Mustang I concept to the groundbreaking design of the GT40, which blossomed under the direction of Carroll Shelby. Powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 and driven in the period by the likes of A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, and Jacky Ickx, the GT40 burst onto the international stage by sweeping the podium at Le Mans in 1966.
The Revs Institute exhibition also includes an Mk I and Mk II-B from the Miles Collier Collection, housed at the museum.
“Hosting three generations of the GT40, including the rare 1967 Mark III, in one exhibition is a way to give our visitors both a truly special experience and a deeper understanding of Ford’s road to victory at Le Mans,” says Lauren Goodman, Supervising Producer of Media and Exhibitions at Revs Institute. Goodman describes the exhibition as a deep dive into the ingenuity and ambition that drove Ford to international racing success.
“Rivet for rivet, I’m not sure you can find a car that matches the Ford GT40’s raw collectibility,” Hagerty’s Conner Golden wrote last spring, attempting to explain the allure of the GT40. “Ford’s mid-engine wunderkind exists at the intersection of historical importance, motorsport legend, iconic personalities, exemplary engineering, and pure desirability. Not every Ferrari race car is important, but I reckon every GT40 built is noteworthy by its existence alone … It’s not an everyman car, but it is a storybook car—maybe the storybook car in America’s sports car history.”
The Revs Institute, which touts itself as “a haven for scholars, preservationists, and passionate connoisseurs of automotive history,” operates as a working facility and contains more than 100 significant automobiles built between 1896 and 1995.
The museum is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All visitors are required to reserve tickets online in advance of their visit. There are no walk-up sales.
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I’d like to extend an invitation the owners to display a MKI in my dining room, a MKII in my den, and the Petersen MKIII in my living room for an event where a select group of my friends will attend for cocktails and canapes.
Where do you live?
In a house with a dining room, a den, and a living room – but as yet no GT40s to put in them. I’m assuming the Revs Institute people haven’t yet read my offer, but I’m sure they’ll be calling soon to arrange delivery! 😁😉