The Most Iconic Racing Cars Of All Time

It's all about speed and the roar, two things that speak to all those who love four-wheelers. Add to this mix the raw heat of competition

- Dhiram Shah

FORD GT40

THERE are very few race cars as iconic and legendary as the Ford GT40, so much so that it’s the focal point of the Matt Damon and Christian Bale starrer Hollywood blockbuster movie Ford v Ferrari. While a lot of artistic liberties were taken in making the movie, the story of how Ford had its sweet revenge and demolished Enzo Ferrari’s ego is still one of the best in the history of motorsports.

As the story goes, Henry Ford II wanted to field a racing team at Le Mans in the early 1960s. On learning that Enzo Ferrari was looking for a buyer for this company, Ford spent millions to acquire the celebrated Italian marque. However, Enzo Ferrari famously declined to sell his company. An enraged Henry Ford II took up the challenge to build a race car that could beat Ferrari on the world endurance-racing circuit.

That’s how the iconic GT40 was born by marrying a chassis built by a British manufacturer named Lola with an American V8. The Ford GT40 went on to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race three times in a row from 1966 to 1969, making it one of the most successful race cars of all time.

LOTUS 72

DESIGN by Colin Chapman and Maurice Phillippe, the Lotus 72 was way ahead of its time and is often considered one of the best and most successful designs in F1 history. In fact, it was so good that Lotus used the same car for five years. Fifty years later, the Lotus 72 remains one of the most loved and remembered F1 cars, especially the one with the John Player Special livery.