who designed Mark I GT40 body?

[Jim Rosenthal]

A friend of mine spotted, and saved for me, a page from a Snap-On calendar which shows a profile view of a "1965 Ford GT40". This car is either blue or silver-blue, it's a little hard to tell from the way the page is printed.
Looking at this view of the car, I was struck again by how extraordinarily well it is drawn. From all angles, the GT40's shape combines beauty, functionality and simplicity in ways that are hard to beat. Not taking anything away from all the races it won, I am sure that a part of the GT40's lasting appeal comes from its' outstanding looks.
Here's my question: does anyone know who drew the design for the car? This may seem like a foolish question especially coming from someone who has been on this Forum a while, but the only thing I have been able to find was a reference, I think in Spain's book, to Len Bailey drawing the "Le Mans" nose, which we all think of as the definitive front end look for the GT40. Did he design the whole car? It seems to me that something drawn with such an elegant touch and economy of line would have to be the work of one person; cars designed by committee don't look like a GT40.
The other great automotive shapes I can think of (Miura, 280SL, Ferrari 250 GTO, etc etc etc) have, if I am not mistaken, an identified designer who gets credit for the shape of the car. I wonder who it is that drew what is arguably the best-looking racing car of all time...anyone who knows or who has information to contribute, please do so.

 

[Mark Worthington]

It'll be interesting to hear what some of our well-informed historians have to say about this. I thought the GT40 design was a derivative of the Lola GT.

You're right, the GT40 is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful cars in the world, in my unbiased opinion. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

It is a derivative of the Lola... the Mk6 GT, of which the similarity is striking.... so perhaps the more illuminating info would be 'who designed the Lola?'... I'm assuming it wasn't Eric Broadley?

Rgds

Neil

 

Mark, beauty "is in the eye of the beholder" and I completely agree with you and often gaze on my car and just think it is stunningly beautiful.

As to the origin, I have no answers, it is a big improvement on the original nose (with the lights coming to the front edge) - this made the car ugly. However I think it is quite different from the Lola even if developed from that shape - the 'Mk1' is much prettier than the rather heavy Lola rear end.

All just my opinion of course.

 

[Hershal Byrd]

Eric Broadly at Lola was the choice by the Ford exec's to design the GT40. Eric had already a working prototype that was close to what Ford wanted. He massaged it with some imput from Ford's design department. The Ford guys had just got a new computer and they designed many componants on the car. Mostly suspension componants. There were three design engineers that went over to England and assisted Eric with the final product. They were Chuck Mountain,Len Baily and Ron Martin. As the GT evolved there were several modifications made by others who made things like the nostrils and the spoilers. David Hodges' book goes into more detail about the people involed but Eric is the one who is credited with the conceptual and beginning flavor of the GT40.

Hersh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ QUOTE ]
Eric Broadly at Lola was the choice by the Ford exec's to design the GT40. Eric had already a working prototype that was close to what Ford wanted.

[/ QUOTE ]
Some books tell the story like this or similar like this - but if you read "The inside story of the fastest Fords" by Karl E. Ludvigsen it sounds a little different. He tells that the roots of the Ford GT family are based on the Mustang I, a sports roadster prototype. An internal group of Ford engineers under Roy C. Lunn carried out the first design studies for a Ford GT in May, 1963.
Eric Broadley became involved in the project in August, 1963 because he built his Lola GT in January, 1963 - a rear engined coupe using the Fairlane engine. That was the main reason why Ford decided to sign a contract with him - he should know about the problems which appeared to Ford's GT project team, and his personality was easier to handle as for example a person like Colin Chapman who was also part of the selection list. So far the story as told by Ludvigsen.
My personal opinion is that Ford mixed up some of the design components of their own GT project designed by Roy c. Lunn with the Lola GT from Eric Broadley, getting some support of Ford's new computer - the result was the first Ford GT40 Mark I as shown to the public in April, 1964.

Cheers,
Volker

 

Hi Jim,

Not only was Len Bailey in overall charge of the GT40 project but he was a hands on mechanical engineer as well as stylist.

Often in the automotive industry managers or heads of projects are selected for their management skills. These people then employ people to do the various jobs for them. Nothing wrong with that, it is simply a case of putting a workable team together. Bailey was different.

The first GT40 developed in 1963/64 was one of the first cars ever to be designed with computer input but as computer aided design was in its infancy the machine got it all wrong. The wedge shaped nose was a problem and in the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hour the front lifted down the Mulsanne straight.

Len Bailey then corrected the problem himself by re-drawing the front end on the drawing board. Len Bailey could rightfully claim to have been the chief designer but greatly assisted by his team as Hersh correctly mentioned. No man is an island unto himself.

Len also designed the Ford F3L and the first of the Mirages. I did an earlier posting on the F3L with a pic of Len standing next to the quarter scale model.

In 1965 John Wyer was approached by someone in the UK who was doing research on carbon fibre. As is the norm new products are often greeted with suspicion as was the case with this offer. Wyer was interested in the new product, despite the relatively high cost and agreed for the doors to be made partly with carbon fibre. This could be the first time that carbon fibre was ever used in a racing sports car but I cannot vouch for that.

My first personal experience with this amazing material was with the Mike Hailwood Lola T210 that I sponsored for the 1970 Kyalami Nine Hour and Springbok series. It was so light that I could hold the whole front section including lights above my head resting on my fingers. By then carbon fibre was the in thing.

Let there be light!
Andre 40

 

[ QUOTE ]
In 1965 John Wyer was approached by someone in the UK who was doing research on carbon fibre. As is the norm new products are often greeted with suspicion as was the case with this offer. Wyer was interested in the new product, despite the relatively high cost and agreed for the doors to be made partly with carbon fibre. This could be the first time that carbon fibre was ever used in a racing sports car but I cannot vouch for that.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi Andre,
in John Wyer's book "The certain sound", chapter 15, John Wyer told that he was informed in 1967 by his supplier of fibre-glass, that they were doing work for the Royal Aircraft Establishment with a new magic material called carbon fibre. Used as a reinforcement for fibre-glass it could result in considerable saving in weight.
Further the tells that a guy named Leslie Thomas who was responsible for developing carbon fibre for the Rolls Royce RB211 came over to Slough with a bundle of carbon fibres - which are priced £38.00 per pound (in 1967!!!).
So it seems as if John Wyer used carbon fibre for the 1968 season with his Gulf-GT40s first - there's no earlier date mentioned in his book.

Regards,
Volker

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

Yes, I read the material about Broadley and Lola in the various books, there's no question that the concept of how the car was laid out came from his design. But if you look at the Lola prototypes and the GT40 Mark I they don't look alike. From what I gather above, the actual body design: the way the lines flow, the scoops the windscreen angle, the nose (the redesign of the front to the look we think of as the GT40 today must be the world's most successful 'nose job')- all that is the work of Len Bailey. Good for him.
Is Len Bailey still with Ford, does anyone know? Is he still involved in racing car design?

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Last I had heard of Len Bailey was in the mid 80's-He was doing consulting and design work for independant manufacturers. At that time he worked on the Panther Cars "Solo" project and was doing design work work for Brain Angliss' Autokraft, a 302 powered mid-engined all wheel drive car that never came to completion. Both companies located in the Brooklands Industrial Estates at that time. I came close to meeting him at Autokraft one day but I was late and he was early so our paths did not cross.

Rick

 

[Brian Magee]

Unfortunately Len Bailey is no longer with us.

The question was who designed the bodywork, not the chassis, In David Hodges book 'The Ford GT40, an Anglo-American Competition Classic', page 12 shows a clay model of the original design study for the car. This was full size and a 1/5 scale model was used for wind tunnel tests. On page 11 there are drawings of two versionsof the car, one with the doors we now know (which I think were first seen on the Lola) and the other shows a front hinged aircraft style canopy. These come from Fords design studios in the states but no credit is given to the designer. It is well documented that Len Bailey re-designed the front of the car to cure the tendancy for the car to fly.

So it looks like the designer was American, but who?

Brian.

 

[Brett James-McCall]

Brian,
I'll see if anyone in Heritage at work can help on Monday.

Brett

 

Hi all,

I appreciate all this info and have wondered about the original designer of the body for some time. John Allen, in his GT40 book on the 1989 reunion, stated that there was a rumor that the person was black and worked for Ford. Any thoughts on that?

Have fun!

John

 

I believe you are correct Volker. The GT40 design apparently has its roots in the design of the Mustang I show car. I have a photo of the Mustang in front of me now (can't post it 'cos my scanner is for transparencies only) and the lines are very similar to the GT40 MKI prototype. All one needs do is draw a roof on, lower it a little and voila! GT40.

Cheers, Brian.

 

Hi Brian,

the coincidence in the outer design is really conspicuous. Of course all other features are different - the Mustang I prototype had a tubular steal frame amd a Taunus V4 engine.

So I'm convinced of the fact that Len Bailey was the one who made it possible to handle the GT40 at high speeds without turning it into a Ford aeroplane - but I'm also convinced that the honour for the earliest GT40 body linings should be given to another person. Unfortunately I don't know exactly who it was.....

But I have some pounds (or kilos) of old literature and will see if I can find out more.

Volker

 

Hi Volker,

Thanks for your reply. Having taken your information directly from John Wyer's book means that the 1967/68 time scale is obviously right.

When I read Jim Rosenthal's posting I phoned my friend Ken MacLeod for his opinion. Better to ask someone who worked for JW Automotive even if from 1970 to 1973 after the GT40 era.

Problem is when one heads towards the 60 mark and over you sometimes suffer from something called a SENIOR MOMENT, which means that when you have to remember events nearly 40 years ago you don't remember so well! Mind you at the suggested 1965 Ken wasn't too far out!

In 1967/68 the price of 38 pounds for a pound of carbon fibre was a huge amount of money! To see it in perspective, at exactly that time I was working in Wimbledon
on the Enfield Electric car project. My income at the time, which was a typical good to average salary, was 25 pounds per week. We were paid by the week in those years. Incidentally the Enfield electric was styled by John Frayling who worked with Ron Hickman on the Lotus Elite, Elan and Europa projects. The world is small isn't it! Someone once said that humans are like the animals in Kruger National Park who often meet up again at the same watering hole!

Ken said that he really enjoyed working with Len Bailey and unlike some other high profile motor men Len was not a prima donna and was in fact a reserved and private person. Ken remembers him saying on several occasions, 'Oh, hell Ken, here comes the press again!

Ken also enjoyed many dinners at home with Len and his wife Margaret and often in the company of the JW Automotive drivers.

In 1971 Len was commissioned by Frank Williams to design his first Formula One car, the Williams FW01. This was a week-end and after hours job and Ken did the drawings for Len.

Ken knew that Len had died in recent years but could not recall when or under what circumstances. I phoned David Piper this morning in England and he told me that about three years ago Len was repairing roof gutters at his house in Maidenhead, Berkshire. The ladder he standing on tipped over and Len fell off badly injuring himself. He never quite recovered and died about a year later aged about 68.

As David owns a Ford F3L (see earlier posting and pics) he said Len often visited him at his house in Windlesham, Surrey.

Ken Macleod was directly involved with the Mirage projects as well as the 917 which was constantly improved and upgraded by JW Automotive.

In 1974 Ken returned to South Africa and after a stints at Ford of South Africa and Plessey he joined CAV in January, 2001, where he did the original drawings for the stainless steel monocoque. He resigned in February, 2002 to join the new GT40 MK11 project which forms part of the Hi Tech Automotive and Superformance Group. His position is that of design draughtsman and engineering assistant to the General Manager, Robbie Senekal.

It was only recently when Robbie and Ken laid out well over 300 laser cut panels on the factory floor that it really struck me what a complex monocoque it is. The tooling is now being made for the rear bulkhead, roof and windscreen sections by Hi Tech in Port Elizabeth. Mega bucks!! The Lola T70 monocoque is tame by comparison.

Best wishes,
Andre 40

 

[Brett James-McCall]

All this has come back from Tom in Heritage:

Brett,
I quote from The Ford GT40 - Prototypes and Sports Cars by David Hodges, pp 8 & 9 and published by Lionel Leventhal of London in 1970.

"Lunn [the Yorkshireman who headed Ford's design team] was given the go-ahead [in the Fall of 1962] to start design studies on a Prototype to be built around the existing Ford 4.2 litre Indianapolis engine. But coincidentally Eric Broadley was building a very similar car at his Lola works at Bromley, in south-east London (little more than a large shed, far removed in scale from Ford's plant at Dearborn, Michigan.) Introduced at the London Racing Car Show in January 1963, this Lola GT was a low coupe, with its Shelby-tuned 4,262cc (260 cu.in) pushrod overhead-valve Ford V8 mounted ahead of the rear axle line, driving through an overhung Colotti four-speed gearbox in unit with the final drive (transaxle.) The central cockpit part of the body was a monocoque structure, with tubular frames front and rear.
"In the Lola GT, Broadley had in effect anticipated the result towards which Lunn's team was working, and through their Indianapolis association with Colin Chapman and their fruitless negotiations with Ferrari early in 1963, the American company had already conceded that short cuts to Total Performance were not to be disdained. Here was a brilliant designer with a running prototype of what the Ford Advanced Concepts Division had on their drawing boards. So a liaison - which amounted to a take-over of Lola for a set period (originally one year) - was arranged by Donald Frey in June, and Broadley was co-opted to work with Lunn to develop the design of the Ford GT. Shortly they were joined by the one-time Aston Martin team manager and technical director/general manager, John Wyer. Key men from Lunn's team immediately involved were designer Len Bailey and his assistants, Chuck Mountain and Ron Martin."

Hope this helps. If I find any more, I'll get in touch again.

Tom Malcolm,
Manager, Heritage Programmes,
Ford Motor Company Limited.
1/470, Eagle Way, Brentwood, CM13 3BW