Fifty years later, and Ford is bringing the GT back to life! In 1966, Ford had a 1-2-3 finish competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and has very high expectations for the 2016 race. Ford is hoping their new GT will put them back in the supercar game and win on the track, as well as the streets. The new Ford GT will undoubtedly look to be a very respected successor to the 1960’s Ford GT40 and the 2005-06 Ford GT. The GT will feature its new twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5L V6 churning out over 600 horses – the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever. The 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans is set to take place on June 18 and 19.

The Ford GT Racing Program started its development back in 2013 when they partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing. “We’ve won races and championships, but we’ve never run Le Mans,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “When presented the opportunity to compete with the all-new Ford GT on the world’s biggest sports car stage, and on the 50th anniversary of one of the most storied victories in racing history, how could any race team not want to be part of that? Will it be a challenge? Absolutely, but we couldn’t be with a better partner than Ford.”

Raj Nair, Ford Motor Company’s VP of Global Product Development and CTO said, “As we developed the Ford GT, from the outset, we wanted to ensure we had a car that has what it takes to return Ford to the world of GT racing. We believe the Ford GT’s advances in aerodynamics, light-weighting and EcoBoost power will make for a compelling race car that can once again compete on a global stage”.

Ford has come out with a series of new videos for the GT revival called “The Return”, about the 50th anniversary of the GT’s legendary win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

The documentary features Bill Ford, Raj Nair, Dave Pericak and Edsel B. Ford II, who attended the 1966 race with his father, Henry Ford II.