Ford to make Ford Performance Announcement – Return to LeMans 2016?
Ford Motor Company could be returning to Le Mans in 2016 to race?
Ford late on Monday, Australian time, released a press release with mention of a press conference to be held on Friday to make an announcement regarding Ford Performance.
The subject of the said is announcement is not mentioned, but the timing and location all points toward Ford making a long expected return to 24 hours of Le Mans.
Original Ford GT40
New Ford GT released at North American International Auto Show
Why the return to LeMans?
- Well, earlier this year Ford re-released the Ford GT, the second tribute to the original Ford GT40, which was created to win Le Mans and beat Ferrari at their own game. The story so well told by the great book Go Like Hell by AJ Baime.
- Next year 2016, is 50 years since Ford won the 24 hours of LeMans with the Ford GT40, we all know Ford likes to celebrate milestones.
- The press release came out of the Ford Cologne officer instead of the Ford USA office.
- The 24 hours of Lemans is being run this weekend, what better time to announce that you are planning on returing.
- The New GT runs a Ford V6 engine with EcoBoost, Ford’s current sports car series run a similar engine, so it makes perfect sense to take the GT to Lemans to promote Eco Boost to the world on a larger scale.
- Ford released an image just after the launch of the new GT with it alongside two of the Ford GT’s from the 60’s, a solid indercation that the new GT was to follow in the GT40’s footsteps.
Mark Fields with the New Ford GT at the NAIAS launch
So come this Friday it will be intesting to hear the annoucement and see if it is true, all we can do now is wait.
Below is the Press Release from Ford
08-JUN-2015 | COLOGNE, GERMANY
FORD TO ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE NEWS THIS WEEK
Ford this week is making a major Ford Performance news announcement via live‑streamed media conference
Bill Ford, executive chairman will host the event with Mark Fields, president and CEO; and Raj Nair, group vice president, Global Product Development
COLOGNE, Germany, June 8, 2015 – Ford this week is making a news announcement regarding Ford Performance at 15:00 CET (09:00 EST, 21:00 CST) on Friday.
Ford Executive Chairman, Bill Ford; President and CEO Mark Fields; and Group Vice President of Global Product Development Raj Nair, will be joined by special guests for an event that will be live-streamed around the world.
The news conference will be available to view live at http://bit.ly/FordPerformanceSpecialEvent where an automated calendar entry for the June 12 event is now available.