We are all familiar with the Ford GT40 which won Le Mans, but have you heard of the Rally equivalent, the Ford GT70? Despite being a rally enthusiast I had never heard of the car until I came across Corgi Whizzwheels model. I thought it was worth further investigation.
Despite the fact that only six prototype models were made there is plenty of information available on line. In particular there is an excellent video featuring Stuart Turner and Roger Clarke discussing the origins of the car and their hopes for the future.
You can see this video here
The car is described as a direct descendent of the GT40 racing programme though, apart from its mid engine layout it is difficult to see much commonality.
The story of the GT70 starts in 1970 when the Ford Escort was dominant on the rallying scene. However Stuart Turner and Roger Clarke came up with the GT70 concept on their return from the Monte Carlo Rally. Stuart explained that even though the Escort was a world beater in tough rallies, on high speed tarmac events such as the Monte, the Porsche 911 and Renault Alpines couldn’t be beaten. Ford planned to move forward with both the Escort on the tougher endurance events and the GT70 on the high speed events.
The mid engine layout reduced overall weight and placed it over the rear wheels to improve traction. It also had a smaller frontal area reducing drag. Stuart also stated that whilst it would be developed as a rally car it was likely that it would be put into mass production as a sports car and was shown at the Brussels Motorshow.
The prototype looked promising with a fiberglass body designed by Ercole Spada and powered by either a 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve Cosworth BDA four-cylinder, or a hopped-up, mid-mounted 2.6-litre Cologne V-6, and a five-speed manual transaxle.
However, its performance on events left much to be desired. One was run in the 1971 Ronde Cevenole Rally in France, driven by Roger Clark, but was plagued by engine, suspension and braking problems. Another ran in the 1971 Tour de France driven by Francois Mazet with partner Jean Todt . Unfortunately, they were unable to finish after colliding with a bridge parapet in the Alps. A third was modified by Ford France with a 1.6 litre Cosworth BDA I4, 5-speed Hewland gearbox and a BP livery and was run in the 1972 and 1973 French tarmac championships withGuy Chassuil as the driver.
Unfortunately design issues with the frame and changes to the WRC rules meant that the car never fulfilled its potential and the GT70 programme was stopped in 1973.