Ford is considering fielding a hybrid hypercar in the top class of world endurance racing, which could see it go toe to toe with Ferrari for all-out victory at Le Mans for the first time since 1969.
Since the original GT40 bowed out, Ford has not been represented in the upper echelons of sports car racing (except for the ill-fated C100 of the early 1980s), but now as the firm dramatically enhances its focus on motorsport, a return to the front of the grid at La Sarthe is possible.
That’s according to Mark Rushbrook, global director of the Ford Performance motorsport division, who has told Autocar that the firm is “constantly studying or looking at where we can race, or should race”.
With entries in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) GT3 class, the Dakar Rally, the World Rally Championship, Nascar, Australian Supercars and Pikes Peak, plus a return to Formula 1 with Red Bull in 2026, Ford Performance is already “competing in more places than any other manufacturer”, Rushbrook said.
But Ford – unlike Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Alpine, Cadillac, Porsche, BMW and others – does not currently compete in either the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) or Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) prototype classes.
Asked if the company would consider adding a hypercar to its motorsport portfolio, Rushbrook told Autocar: “To be responsible for what we're chartered to do, we need to be aware of all opportunities.”
He cited the growing visibility and competitiveness of endurance racing, plus the FIA’s decision to allow LMH and LMDh cars to race together, as particular incentives that could spark Ford’s return to top-flight endurance racing.
“Motorsports is very strong, overall, globally, and all different disciplines - they're all strong. But I think, relatively, sports car racing in these last three years has really come on, and a lot of that is because of global convergence.
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Remember the GT90?, another Ford faux pas, this looks like an update, as said, Ford need to fix there bread n'Butter models first.
Surely Ford has more important issues to address such as poor sales and profitability instead of playing around with racing cars? It didn't end well when it owned Jaguar a couple of decades ago...
Profits increasing year on year. I guess they what to have some fun.
Ford just issue shocking financial report, share price dropped 25 percent in just one month.
Doesn't sound like fun if you are a Ford share holder.
Yea way to go Ford, drop the Mondeo, Fiesta and Focus and give us a million pound GT40 Hybrid and rebadged VWs.