Rolex 24 Retro: Ford Breaks Through in 1965

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the running of the 1965 Daytona Continental, the forerunner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. That race produced a popular breakthrough victory for Ford, and opened the door for Daytona to virtually double its event distance to 24 hours the following year.

The Ferrari vs. Ford war was at full tilt in 1965. The Detroit manufacturer spared no expense in a bid for its first major international victory. Daytona hosted a 2,000-kilometer event, which featured the faster prototype cars for the first time in its four-year history.

Ford debuted its GT40 in April, 1964. While the three GT40s failed to finish at Le Mans, Phil Hill broke the circuit’s speed record. Ford stepped up its efforts for 1965. Carroll Shelby prepared two GT40s in addition to four Ford Daytona Coupes. NASCAR’s Hulman-Moody added an additional Mustang GT350.

For Daytona, Ferrari came prepared to meet the challenge. U.S. importer Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team entered five cars, a trio of the new 275Ps and a pair of 330s, with a driver lineup including two-time Daytona winner Pedro Rodriquez and reigning Formula One World Champion John Surtees.

While the Ford vs. Ferrari battle failed to materialize, the race produced an unexpected challenger. With the Ferraris struggling with mechanical problems early in the race, Ford’s main threat turned out to be a Lotus 19J entered by 1962 Daytona winner Dan Gurney for himself and Jerry Grant. Dubbed “the Pacesetter,” the car built up a five-lap lead before encountering a mechanical problem on what first appeared to be a routine pit stop – leading to its retirement.

That opened the door for the GT40 of Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. The pair covered the 2,000 kilometers in 12 hours, 27 minutes, giving Ford its first international triumph at an average speed of 99.849 mph. Shelby American took the top four positions in the event, with the top Ferrari finishing seventh.

The 1965 Daytona Continental proved to be more than a vehicle for Ford’s first victory advertisements in its battle with Ferrari. The popularity of the event led Daytona promoter Bill France Sr. to increase the race distance to 24 Hours for 1966 – giving Daytona one of the world’s three premier endurance races, along with Le Mans and the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Ferrari went to win the 1965 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The following year, Ford turned the tables with podium sweeps in the three endurance classics. Miles and Ruby repeated in Daytona’s first 24-hour race and also won at Sebring, setting the stage for Ford’s breakthrough triumph at Le Mans – its first of four consecutive victories in the French classic.