Two legends come together.
Without a doubt, the most famous version of the Ford GT40 Mk II was the one piloted by Ken Miles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. That’s why its distinct livery is imitated on so many kit cars, as well as quite a few modern Ford GTs. We saw a very nice replica of it in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, which has helped educate more of the general public. But if you want to see it for yourself, you’ll have to do what Adam Carolla did in the video below and visit The Shelby Heritage Center (called the Shelby Museum by many), which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Carolla doesn’t go too deep into Ken Miles’ Ford GT40 in the video, but it’s a nice overview of the car. You might even learn a thing or two from watching it, or if you only know it from the Ford v Ferrari movie you might learn quite a bit.
Most people don’t realize that Ken Miles won Daytona in the same car not too long before he ran it at Le Mans. That certainly wasn’t portrayed in the movie. The man had also won at Sebring in 1966, so if he had won at Le Mans he would’ve been the first and only person to have pulled off such a feat.
Also brought up in this segment is the theory that Miles purposely pulled up short right before the finish line at Le Mans and that’s why he didn’t cross the finish line at the same time as Bruce McLaren. Considering he had a rebellious streak that often worked as self-sabotage, it’s not a bad theory. Just remember that hasn’t been proven and in some circles is considered controversial, to say the least.
Then there are some nice details shown on the car, like the fact that despite being a right-hand-drive vehicle the stick shift was on the right, because that’s what the drivers were most comfortable using. You get to see the famous “bundle of snakes” headers, which got their name for an obvious reason. These aren’t details you really see in the movie.
If you’re not familiar with him, Adam Carolla is not only a pretty famous comedian with a popular podcast, he’s also quite the car nut.
