The Argentine GT40: the incredible version made in Córdoba by Ford that beat Ferrari at Le Mans

The Ford GT40 is, in the history of the brand, the most important milestone in the field of competition. A legendary car that, due to its birth and achievements, has even entered theaters with the film released in 2019 and starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, who acted as managers of the work in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. that legendary car there is now an Argentine version, developed in a workshop in Córdoba and from the hands of a developer with extensive experience in sports car racing.

miguel angel alisi He ran in various national motorsport categories and even competed in Germany. Once he got out of the car, he was the director and owner of the competition teams; the last experience was managing Renault’s official National Tourism structure. Although he retired from the dizziness of competition, the lust and love for scaffolding did not fade. And so it is set to revive a fictional car in his own workshop in Villa Carlos Paz.

Alice and her team they made up the Ford GT40 that made history by winning Daytona in 1965 and Le Mans 24 in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. A car made famous by sports director Carroll Shelby and test driver Ken Miles, are in charge of fulfilling Henry Ford’s dream: that his brand would write several pages in the history of motoring.

That’s the car, and as recreated in the film Ford Vs. Ferrari under the direction of James Maingoldborn in the 1960s after the failure of the North American automaker in its attempt to buy the Prancing Horse: the negotiations between Henry Ford II (grandson of the founder and then president of the company) on Enzo-Ferrari they were broken before signing, because the Italian broke the agreement prematurely.

Ford then called Shelby (played in Matt Damon’s film) to develop The car capable of beating Ferrari at Le Mans, where the Italian brand has had a strong dominance over the decade. And there will appear Ken Miles, a British pilot (played by Christian Bale) with the talent and perseverance to carry out the project; the GT40 has not won once, but four times in a row in 24 Hours.

In the Ford GT40, only 107 units were produced and 31 were approved for the streets.. Throughout history it has been a collector’s item for metalworkers around the world. In Argentina, one is being done in the prototype phase but they promise more, according to what was revealed to Clarín by Miguel Ángel Alisi, its creator.

An artisan job with thousands of hours

Start the project for the development of the Argentine GT40 It began as the adventure of an iron fanatic who even allowed him to dust in a workshop six years without moving. Here is added technological support and even the purchase of material and parts abroad.

The project they are undertaking aims to recreate the MK1 that won in 1969 and closed out an extraordinary Oval work in the most important fighting competition in the world. They started work as soon as the pandemic started, in May 2020. There were six people involved in the activities. And local companies are collaborating on construction, contributing vehicle parts and elements.

-How was this idea born that for many seems crazy?

-I always had the idea to make my own car, but I was not given motor racing time. Together with my son we made a Ford GT40, we started investigating, we investigated everything about the model and we reopened the workshop which had been six years idle. Fortunately, many friends joined us and worked together and it turned out to be a serious and professional project.

-From idea to reality, what are the first steps?

-They lent us an original overseas model and we scanned it in 3D. Then we invest in scanners, laser cutters, equipment. For 6,800 hours, from May 2020 to May 2021, we were able to assemble the model, with putty, sheet metal and wood, just to do the bodywork commissioned by a shipyard in Córdoba, where they make boats and cruisers. They made it with a fire retardant resin. Also, we had to buy a lot of pieces in England to be able to reproduce them and preserve the originality, a huge investment.

-On purpose, how similar is the original GT40?

-We can say that it has between 75 and 80% replaceable parts in the original model. The original chassis was all sheet metal, we had to make it tubular covered with sheet metal because otherwise it would be an unaffordable cost. The most complicated is the bodywork because there are many round parts. The drawing and construction of the whole car is pretty complete, but we’re passionate about it.

What machine does it have under the hood?

-The machine was entrusted to Zschocke Motorsport. This is the same one used by the original base car, a 400 hp 5.4-liter block V8. The difference is that ours has an aluminum cylinder head and no carburetor because we replaced it with injection.

-What part are you part of the process?

-From the initial prototype, it was only 90 days before its testing began at the Alta Gracia racetrack. We are missing the last meeting, the details, which are sometimes longer than others, because a lot of things need to be fixed. When it is finished, we take it to the Association of Independent Automotive Builders of the Argentine Republic. They already have all the equipment for rehearsals. They have already given us regulation to homologate it. Then it also needs to be approved by the National Road Safety Agency. The dream is to finish it and be homologated for it to rotate. Act 26,938 was regulated in 2018, but no car can yet be patented. We know many colleagues are close but not.

-Why did you choose the GT40?

-First of all, we looked for a car from the 60s because it was easier to build than modern and, moreover, it was an emblematic car for steel lovers, a model that had made history. And as a tribute we named it Miles GT, after that person who did so much to make it a reality.

-A single car or is mass production coming up?

-The idea was to make a series of 24 counts in honor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We already have six managers.

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