GT40 Tech Talk

Join our Director of Education Rick Adams for a special Tech Talk, featuring our 1966 Ford GT40 MKII and 1967 Ford GT40 MKIV. In this video Rick takes us “under the hood” and discusses the nuanced differences between these two Le Mans veterans.

[@daytonwintle6051]

The reason the car is a quarter inch low is because they put wood shims in the springs to raise the car for tech inspection. But when the car loaded and unloaded the suspension the wood would fall out and ride at the designed height.

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

Man! One of the most beautiful race cars ever built!👌🥰👍

[@thenextbondvillainklaussch3266]

*One of the most beautiful cars ever built lol jokes aside, it my fav , and im a Honda guy , well actually just Japanese Car guy really lol. I own a Tommie Mak EVO , but my fav is the GT40 , if i could sell the Tommie Mak and get a original or well built copy of a GT 40 for the money , id do it.

[@charlesdjones1]

Everything from the 60s is just flat out badass.. Saturn V rocket, GT40, Mustang & Camaro.

[@donaldparlett7708]

Tell me if the GT40 isn’t the sexiest car ever built. It 2023 and it still causes the heart to skip a beat.

[@Hackenbaker]

The way I always wanted to see a GT40! Thanks for the tour!

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

Forty years I've been a fan of this car and not once ever got to see one much less two displayed like this. Definitely shows brilliant engineering for a single purpose.

[@BIBIWCICC]

Such a beautiful British design. Lola really were so advanced.

[@dragonfly492]

The Headers were called "Bundle of Snakes".

[@colinartus1897]

No, they are 360 degree headers. The ' bundle of snakes' was the system fitted to the quad cam small block indy engine where the exhaust ports were in the engine vee meaning all the exhaust primary tubes were grouped together.

[@roguetorino]

​@@colinartus1897 I hate to "well actually" you but two things 1. it's 180 degree exhaust, every 180 degrees a cylinder is firing. 2. The term "Bundle of Snakes" is used for this type of exhaust, for both the Indy engine in the Lotus 34&38 and the GT40. It's not exclusive. Also, keep in mind both of these cars existed at the same time, 1964.

[@truantray]

Wtf...they were not unique to this car, other teams had similar exhaust from 12 or 16 cylinders years earlier.

[@DarinGC]

Excellent break down of components. Of the 30 years I've been obsessed with the gt40, I've always wanted to know the technical stuff. Thanks you!

[@garrycowan4747]

Indeed Sir 😁

[@jasonwishart6800]

excellent technical presentation

[@ATomRileyA]

Really enjoyed this, nice to see whats under the skin.

[@stephenslusser2895]

Enjoyed this, but the name given to the unique 180 degree exhaust header was "bundle of snakes" not "pile of snakes."

[@deanstevenson6527]

Total respect for you all taking the time to show us mere mortals the differences. The FE Big Block is festoned with space ship NASA grade tech. Both Marks had exceptionally clever design. All credit to Henry Ford II for opening the cheque book and making sure the missions were accomplished. The development was great. The Mark IV was a totally new thing. Great stuff!

[@kathyoliveri8909]

Wonderful overview. Thanks for taking the time for the fans of these cars. I have been to your museum several times and want to say thank you for the down to earth approach you take with the visitors. Once I visited on a very cold winter day and the gentleman who ran the garage in the back of the museum was kind enough to take my wife and I through the work he was performing on one of the gull wing Mercedes that belonged to Fred's father. Wow, I would have never guessed a museum of the stature and quality of Simeone would ever let a visitor in to see that work and discuss one-on-one what was being done. I will never forget it and cannot say enough positive things about the foundation and museum. Fabulous.

[@garrycowan4747]

WOW 😁👍

[@DGCastell]

This is great in-depth information! thanks!

[@barryrudge1576]

A very informative walk around a GT40 without getting to technical and for the first time I learned about the requirement for luggage space to enter the 24 hr Le man.

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

Same here. The GT - 40 can be a " grocery getter " after all. " See here honey, I can bring the groceries home from the store. This car will be terrific for doing that. "

[@billthompson9595]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR A WELL THOUGHT OUT TOUR OF THE AMAZING GT40. A head of it's time for sure!

[@CharlesFlahertyB]

Fantastic video, thanks!

[@SimeoneMuseum]

Glad you liked it!

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

This, the 330 P4, and the 917 are some of the most beautiful cars of all time. Maybe the M8F as well.

[@thestumaji656]

The headers are called "Timed Headers" they run on the firing order to avoid back pressure. I've built a few sets for kit GT40s they are not that fun to fab but they sound fantastic!

[@truantray]

Literally all racing headers were designed this way and still are.

[@thestumaji656]

@@truantray not really, now you have a left and right bank with a crossover tube somewhere down the line. I have also fabricated many a set of those.

[@john90430]

The name for them back in the day was not "pile of snakes," but rather "bundle of snakes." American V8 engines, with their two-plane crankshafts, have strange firing orders and crossing certain primary pipes to their opposite collector times the pulses evenly for better flow and evacuation of the combustion chambers.

[@chadharrison8653]

I have always heard the headers of the GT-40 referred to as "Bundle of Snakes" not pile of snakes?? Do you know which was the correct terminology

[@john90430]

@@chadharrison8653 Neither, and I don't know if a true technical term was ever settled upon. If there was, it would likely be something along the lines of "Exhaust scavenging crossover time alignment." A bit too wordy, so they used what it looked like; a bundle of snakes.

[@seastacker8582]

Just saw the movie. This really answers so many questions I had on these cars. If I’m ever close, I plan to stop and see these pieces of history in person. Thank you for the video.

[@turtle5pi]

Nice talk on these fantastic cars,.. Thanks Rick!

[@SimeoneMuseum]

Glad you like them!

[@heeltoeautomotive4962]

Right hand drive with right hand shift is common for endurance cars built for the prototype categories. It makes for faster driver changes at Le Mans because the drivers don’t have to run around the car. This is why most Porsches built specifically for racing are like this. In 1978 the 935/78 “Moby Dick” was even right hand drive despite being based off of a 911

[@610Mungral]

Right hand drive as it's a British designed car but interesting to see the right hand gear shift. Its a little surprising that the Mark IV retained right hand drive.

[@cdjhyoung]

@@610Mungral Right hand drive gives a visual advantage on most road courses and is the most common way of setting up a pure race car for these kinds of circuits. Right hand drive has little to nothing to do with the car being British in origin. The right hand shifter on the other hand is an adaption because a large proportion of racing drivers come from countries that shifting with the right hand as the 'normal' way of doing things. In this car, and for most mid engine cars, routing the shift linkage down the mid chassis tunnel makes the linkages far more complex and difficult to design a linkage system that gives a solid feel to the shifts. Routing the shifter linkage along the out side of the chassis allows it to be simpler, fewer components with fewer joint or swivels and deliver a firmer feel for each shift.

[@610Mungral]

@@cdjhyoung very interesting thanks! I would have thought left hand drive would give better line of sight to the apex of most corners on a clockwise (standard) circuit, just as well I'm not designing cars! I'd be interested in the Ferrari and Porsche set ups. I'm off down a rabbit hole now!

[@SmallBlogV8]

@@610Mungral Supposedly, Circuit de la Sarthe being clockwise is in fact another reason why they sit on the right, because the weight of the driver being on the 'inner' side of the car through a right-hander does a little bit to balance out body roll through the majority of the corners.

[@itempany]

Great explanation on the differences between the 2

[@27Fan4Ever]

Thank you for this very interesting walk-around.

[@beagle7622]

I bought a 1/12 model kit about as close as I can get to the real thing. I was lucky enough to crawl all over one of the John Wyer gulf cars in the early 70’s. I suspect that driving one would be an interesting experience. Chris Amon said they were reasonably comfortable for a race car, but with that 7 litre monster sitting right behind him it was very hot. . The controls were all heavy too.

[@fivenineau]

Thank you for this KZbin algorithm(s)! GT40 has been a fave since I was a kid, learned a bit on this video...very cool and thank you.

[@PatrickLipsinic]

Little note about those oil coolers. They are aircraft engine oil cooler. They are mounted on the front of the engines on Continental 470 and 520 rear alternator engines.

[@ericluba6287]

One of my favorite cards of all times I never knew about the luggage boxes

[@upnorthyooper1196]

So Cool, The headers are called 180-degree header.

[@indopleaser]

love this video. crave technical details of sports cars. only ever see horsepower and torque numbers. please more videos like this. underbodies and aero included. material composition.

[@RocknRollkat]

Excellent presentation, thank you.

[@tomp1612]

This is great, I didn't realize all the differences and why they were changed. I've been to the great museum in Philly and saw those cars all assembled but have never seen one inside like this. Saw the Mk III at Petersen and a Mk1 locally as well as the Lola badged predecessor.

[@waltbullet1287]

Why didn't they try larger brake rotors? I know later on they had vented rotors was it a rule?

[@kynastonp]

@@waltbullet1287 when these cars were designed brake discs were not that old an idea, ventilated disks did not exist and were developed during the racing life of the cars , bigger rotors would mean bigger wheels bigger callipers more weight and weight was a problem on these cars hence the quick change disks.

[@rokguitarstar]

awesome! Love these cars and always want to learn more about them

[@williambrandt9254]

I really enjoyed your thorough discussion and they’re just as beautiful if not more inside than outside. One thing not said was it the GT 40 Mark IV was a completely different car. The mark IV was designed and built by Ford in Michigan and the mark II was an English design that was derived from the Lola. I forget the model of Lola they only made two of them but Jay Leno profiles it. It’s fascinating to see because it looks completely different but you can see how the GT 40 evolved. I’m also curious to know how much influence Phil Remington of Shelby American had on it. I know he designed the brake rotor system to be a quick change and save many minutes in the pits which was crucial to victory. At least according to the movie he was in on the aerodynamics too. They were beautiful cars and thank you for the tour

[@patrickmcmullen7910]

William Brandt, no disrespect sir but only the Mark 1's were completely built in England. The Mark II's tubs were fabricated in England (Abbey Panels) but final assembly was at Kar Kraft in Detroit, Michigan. Eric Broadley of Lola cars was on the design team for the GT-40 but he quit in short order. Ford bought one of his Lola Mark 6's to study the concept but nothing between the cars was interchangeable. You are correct about Phil Remington coming up with the quick change brake pads. He was instrumental in aerodynamic changes to the nose sections on the Mark II's. You are correct also about the Mark IV being totally different. As a matter of fact, they were simply called the Mark IV. They are almost never called GT-40's even though they are the fourth evolution of the original.

[@williambrandt9254]

@@patrickmcmullen7910 I know all about that. My point was that the host was implying that the Mark IV was simply a refinement of the Mark II, and it was a completely different car, designed and built in the US.

[@markgiles8527]

Well that was interesting. Thanks for sharing. Loved it.

[@spazzmonster]

Just a stunning video!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@DuffyF56]

The headers are designed such that the exhaust pulses from each cylinder will aid the exhaust of other cylinders by scavenging them. The pulses as they travel down the tubes tend to form a vacuum (lower pressure area) behind them "pulling" the exhaust traveling from other cylinders.

[@fffforever]

It's great to see just how far Mr. Yetarian has come in the automotive world.

[@kenkraft2821]

love this museum if you ever get to philly you should stop by and see what they have here

[@sochyvonnnora6035]

Love the way you say museum.

[@markt-tb8496]

Nice job on this video of these 2 fantastic cars

[@sharg0]

Great video idea but why can't the camera guy keep the CAR and PARTS in frame instead of switching to Rick, we barely get to see the details of what he's talking about?

[@ji3946]

put together like aircraft of the era monocoque, honeycomb aluminum

[@NLBassist]

Wow, this is so cool!!! Real information. Love it!

[@themachanic6416]

Reminds me of the oil coolers on the Apache AA 64

[@k24hybrid]

Thanks so much! Very cool!!!

[@Ralph2]

Really interesting stuff thank you!

[@FOH3663]

Even beneath the skin, an absolute piece of art.

[@huh4233]

Damn, it has a trunk - nice. 😊

[@houlbt]

Great video insight, thanks.

[@04dram04]

There is something about a purely mechanical race car, that is pure art. Something a modern car can never achieve

[@stevesteve7089]

Thanks would love to see you do it again with even more detail

[@bbmas1930]

I cant believe how big the exhaust primaries are.... huge!

[@johngatorsixadams]

would like to see how they changed the brake rotors in under a min as described in the movie.

[@SillySatire]

I drove a 69 GT40 in 1982. Unfortunately I didn't really appreciate it at the time. I thought it was just a quaint old race car. How I'd love to go back🤭

[@matthewschiebout7384]

that old beast would be such an experience to drive. new cars not so much.

[@hansen370]

Greatest car ever!

[@321-Gone]

very good video.

[@brianward6291]

Very cool

[@wespaisley257]

So much you don't think about, then it's said out loud 🤔then oh yeah,right 😂

[@MegaOwel]

Very interesting good job 👍

[@seanek9]

The luggage space is just funny given that Toyota once successfully convinced the FIA that their fuel tank should be considered luggage space in the GT1.

[@sabercruiser.7053]

THANKS A LOT VERY VERY INFORMATIVE.

[@ProstreetLamborghini]

Great video I picked up on a few things. One thing was how high the rack & pinon was mounted to the wheel steering arm location point being so high.

[@rhovas1]

These cars don't belong in a museum. They are still being raced and used in events and should be used for that. They are comfortable, reliable and safe cars to enjoy.

[@kevinfitzpatrick5949]

Wouldn't call a race car comfortable, or safe for the street (tires have to warm to really grip). But yeah, these cars should be driven

[@mwhitelaw8569]

Pretty sweet piece of history man Are they on display in that manner?

[@SimeoneMuseum]

They were displayed in that fashion for the length of our “Overexposed” exhibit based on the GT40. We run our cars so had to put them back together when the exhibit was over.

[@dielauwen]

You did not mention the fact that Ken Miles did the tuning of the suspension ,engine and braking systems. He was Quite the Technician. A self taught Engineer not just a driver. He drifted the GT40 around the corners .....

[@abk2k3aaronkauflin83]

Honestly I never knew the gt40s had trunk space

[@patrickmcmullen7910]

Not only did they have luggage space but at every pit stop during a race, they had to remove the spare tire and bounce it on the ground once. Then secure it back in place. FIA rules.

[@abk2k3aaronkauflin83]

@@patrickmcmullen7910 that’s good to know now I won’t be screwed if i need to get groceries XD I’m planning to build a replica mk2

[@doginu]

Keep your Box lunch warm...

[@karroome]

Interesting upper suspension setup. Can we get a closer look

[@crashandcynder]

a tiny car with a huge v8 in the middle. the gt40 must be so much fun to drive

[@timvins]

Good info, always wondered what those tin boxes were, what’s the alloy tank, in front of the front bulkhead on the MK11?

[@dalecomer5951]

Rick pronounces "radiator" as rad-ee-ay-ter rather than ray-dee-ay-ter. That was not uncommon when I was a kid but not so much any more. Is it regional? Does the Simeone Foundation have a "Mk I" GT40 for comparison? Funny they didn't measure the Mk II. Legend has it those were built a bit taller in order to accommodate Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt. .

[@rbslammed6163]

Aluminum Boxes inches from exhaust…… they are toaster ovens/luggage ovens

[@jonienglish3231]

BRILLIANT VIDEO !!!!!!!!!!!!! I always wanted to SEE UNDERNEATH the SKIN of the GT40 Good For ELECTRIC CONVERSION - Batteries on the 2 SIDE PODS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ianmangham4570]

Best car 🚗 EVER

[@sahs3811]

When you like at the original car I can see why people buy the race car replicas GT40 kit car as the aluminium chassis on that car is quite close to the original design !

[@slspg]

Greenpeace activist looking at the straight pipes: 😡😡😡 Me:😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@tedeski1392]

Loud pipes, I heard saves lives ,thank you

[@kennethcampingdiary1976]

where is the flux capacitor located

[@MrWils25]

And the Mr Fusion

[@davidthompson5460]

Hey, Rick. Can you tell us the racing histories of these two cars?

[@markt-tb8496]

The Yellow Mk Ii was run by Alan Mann racing at the '66 Lemans race (you can see it in the actual footage of the race as well as in the Ford v Ferrari movie) but was a DNF due to a mechanical issue.. The Mk IV ran it's only race at LeMans in '67, was a DNFD due to running off the track and getting stuck in a sandbank. The Museum's website would have more details if you'd want to take a look. There is a section called "the Collection" with specifics about each car.

[@sjournot47]

the way he pronounces radiator really bothers me lol

[@kevinbarrett9615]

Bundle ,bundle, bundle.

[@theedge5584]

They ever figure out the brakes overheating

[@PFLEONARDI0906]

I thought the rear brakes were inboard???

[@sherrigaskin5656]

Bet she's LOUD with the open headers.

[@sherrigaskin5656]

You can see why they're so light weight.

[@sherrigaskin5656]

The Mark I looks so much better. It looks like one you'd see in an alley in Compton. Stolen and stripped. Just needs cinder blocks.

[@TS-1267]

...all I'm seeing is BIG MOVING ✋✋ HANDS, Soz🚶🚶🚶

[@64fairlane305]

2:48 They were stated at 485hp at 6200rpms but anyone knew that these race-engines was built for a shiftpoint at 7400rpms. Ken Miles decided to ignore Fords "safe" 24hr low rpm shiftpoints and let the engine rev out, the rest is history. All the Le Mans Mk2`s were originally built by Holman-Moody in LA CA USA who rebuilt the GT40`s to fit the bigger 427R-engines

[@truantray]

The mk4 frame was made of honeycomb bonded aluminum straight from the NASA Apollo program. This would not be seen in F1 until over a decade later. Very cool history, but also a sad reminder of a company that ruled the world in technology and racing, but now just makes dumb trucks for fat people.

[@buckhorncortez]

The honeycomb material was found by an engineer, Chuck Mountain, from Brunswick Corporation who had a large factory in Muskegon, MI. While Brunswick was known for bowling and billiards equipment, they have made boats for years. They've owned Mercury Marine since 1961. They own Sea Ray, Bayliner, and a number of other boat manufacturers. The honeycomb material was developed for marine applications and was later applied to some military projects, so it's hardly "straight from the NASA Apollo program."

[@danieldacruz1774]

@benjaminworkshop

[@22copes]

More interested in the Alfa's in the background at 6:36, is there a link to those videos

[@zAvAvAz]

i believe the true term you are searching for is and was called " BUNDLE OF SNAKES" . Either way 'pile of snakes' can be used, its just not the truth is all. So do not go on changing it now! that chicago canadian northerner accent is omething else! So are southern accents something else also. :oP i love it. Although try saying radius that way :o) great video thanks, no pun! Get ya pull on! totally rad dude. radical. radius radii. radiator radiation. They are different. Why? Because people that is the difference between languages, that if you were not skilled enough to speak german in nazi germany and were an american soldier spy, then you could be questioned or arrested or even some summary execution by war criminals that were serious about their business. But not here in the united states. Occupation is not a threat? hahahahhahahahhahahahhahah See people. Now do not go get paranoid, god is in control and you need to be to not be on the wrong side of god's own enemy as well as everyone's enemy, so don't be on that side or you shall be working toward your own demise! For example: god would not blame someone for denying god under threat of death or doom, although people and the enemy are the ones whom do, so who are we stuck between a rock and a hard place exactly like god is, so now you see, hear, understand whom the enemy is = the liar and the murderer from their beginning = the 'ACCUSER' ! The very same whom in dark ages taught to weigh a duck or swan versus a woman's weight inside a cage to determine if she was guilty of witchcraft, the same whom built bloody instruments of torture and the art of keeping someone alive as long as possible whilst they murdered them ignominously disgustingly and to place all and any in fear to help support idealology of lies claiming it to be power! Woe unto those that rule the worldly lie to this day! i am that i am and i am on the earth! So all of us only keep wishing we had a car like this, because the enemy was prejudice from the beginning and make themselves god's enemy completely intentional and it is obscure, there is no reason or ryhme to that so trying to place 'reasons' that the accuser teaches, and teaches death and preaches death, and uphold death, in mine creation shall meet its own death or change because i am hath the will and testimony of my father in heaven, do not be discouraged at owning a car like this , you shall, and can, just as where we are, the kingdom is also, the false kingdom shall not prevaiL ! ! ! And it has already come to pass what is already going to happen , has already happened through the eyes of my father in heaven, whom hath given it witness testimony TO ME! i am! all those whom are not , are not, were not and go to not, for they never were, and all of i am, was with god, was god, is god, and always shall be god, and god with usj, for all the eye witnesses and the 144,000 million billion trillion, and so on. i am was beheaded inside a government facility , helen ross mcnabb centers of knoxville TN in 2014, and national geographic building structures. My father in heaven regrew my head after it was scoshed through with a device from behind to take my ripened pineal gland out, whereas all things had become possible through god, how dare your horrible fake satanic so called high society! i hate you! this is what they do , and then turn around and make vague broad insinuations and all manner of lies and false witness testimony by insinuation alone , a murderer that makes up vague nonesense hoping you shall find something wrong with you inside and out , well i disagree death, you liar and murderer, we are postpondent to your murderous plots and lying ways , you shall not take me through hell, i am have had enough of hell right here where you are the imposters in MY KINGDOM, damn you. Now do you believe i should be subtle and not angry? NO! i am and i am stable, and you can observe and WATCH as i stabily kick your ass all the way back from whence you came forth!

[@antondubas9368]

по моему ставить элементы охлаждения и забора холодного воздуха рядом с горячим выхлопом, не особо эффективно!

[@kevinoneil7532]

you forgot to point out that the Mk2 was a steel monocoque while the Mk4 4 appears to be aluminum

[@colinartus1897]

Honeycomb aly sheet

[@z06doc86]

Defective honeycomb panels is what killed Ken Miles. The car literally broke apart. RIP KEN.

[@fabrisoto]

SUBTITULOS...

[@lambo723]

le francais c est quand meme une belle langue !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Sadly from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called: "Abgasbespaßung"

[@goofyleo3869]

100% bullshit. But Europeans are 'subjects'. Not 'citizens'.