Weekend Watch: GT40 at Le Mans

With the release of the new Ford GT this week, we thought it was time to revisit what made the original so great with possibly the best car video we saw in all of 2014.

Let’s look at the component parts, shall we? Firstly, it’s at Le Mans, one of the world’s greatest racetracks.

Then there’s the car, one of just four surviving GT40 Roadster prototypes built by Ford. Only five were built in the first place, with the featured car one of three raced by the Ford works team.

It was thought to be lost for four decades after Ford essentially sold it for scrap, but thankfully now not only is it in rude health, it’s being used as its maker intended.

The last time one of these sold it was for $US7 million, but that doesn’t stop the Brazilian owners from driving it flat-out at one of the world’s most demanding racetracks. In the dark. And the rain.

The entire video is almost 48mins long, so be prepared to waste almost an hour hypnotized by a very handy driver in an utterly incredible car flashing down the Mulsanne Straight at 300km/h.

In fact, for some incredibly handy driving, check out this video that vividly illustrates just what a handful these old monsters are when the road turns slick.

Don’t forget to check back every Friday evening for our video of the week.