While relatively well-known among the older gear heads out there, the story of the Ford GT might be a bit obscure to the new blood. That said, anyone with a taste for high-performance and four-wheeled racing is sure to delight in the ups and downs of this classic, and Donut Media has all the important bits laid out in the following 11-minute video.

Just to get you primed, here’s the cliff notes introduction. Back in the ‘60s, Ferrari was in a tough spot financially, and floated the idea of selling out to the Ford Motor Company. Everything looked on track for Dearborn to assume control of the Prancing Horse, with Ford spending millions to take stock of Ferrari’s assets and get all the legal stuff in order. However, just as the final negotiations were wrapping up, there was a problem. Enzo Ferrari wasn’t too keen on the idea of Ford controlling the Ferrari race program, and simply walked, leaving the Blue Oval high and dry.

Henry Ford II was not happy. In retribution, he gave a blank check to his team of race engineers and instructed them to build a race car that could take the fight to Ferrari on its own turf - the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What was to follow is one of the most epic tales ever produced by the world of motorsport, finally resulting in the Ford GT we know and love today.

Press play for all the awesome details, running up to the modern iteration of that iconic racer.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford GT.