One week after the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring, the racing world experienced another tragic weekend, this time in France, at the Le Mans test. Probably due to the proximity of the Sebring event, both Chaparral and Ferrari chose not to attend, leaving Ford with little to compare their performance against. Alan Mann took two of his lightweight 289-engined GT40s, Shelby two GT Mark IIAs and the experimental J-car. Ford had instructed Kar-Kraft of Dearborn to construct the J toward…

Early tire troubles plagued the Firestoned-treaded GT40 of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon.
Photo: Roger Dixon