Mehl said he followed Shelby through the 1964 season, changing designsandcompounds and making notes. After winning the 12 Hours of Sebring withFordand Cobra, he went to Le Mans to test. "Everything seemed great."
That's how naive Mehl said he was. But it wasn't the tires that weretheproblem. Goodyear always had used stick-on wheel weights that stayed inplaceat high speeds.
When Mehl arrived at the track, Goodyear service workers said they hadanew clip-on wheel weight that was fantastic. No problems at all. Needlesstosay, after the first eight-mile lap, drivers pitted, angry at Goodyear.
Mehl said two Cobras had big bumps in the front fenders and one GT40had abig hole in the right front fender from flying clip-on weights. Mehl saidhewent back to the stick-ons.
Goodyear's racing success at Le Mans resulted from a chairman's orders.Ford's success, however, was due to Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari backingoutof a sale to Ford.
Ford executives were stunned, and the automaker launched its own racingprogram. The GT40 was named for its 40-inch height. At the 1966 runningofLe Mans, Ford's answer to Ferrari finally showed its mettle.