Ford GT’s Historic Le Mans 24 Hours Win Subject of Riveting Documentary

Ford GT at LeMans

DEARBORN, Mich. – The Ford GT’s triumphant return to the Le Mans 24 Hours and the development of the revolutionary Ford GT supercar are highlighted in the new documentary "The Return," available now on Amazon Prime Video.

The documentary, first shown at the Newport Film Festival in April, features never-before-seen footage showing the challenge Ford Motor Company set for itself in developing an all-new Ford GT that both honored its storied history on the race track and shattered modern expectations on what a supercar can be.

Enthusiasts will get a chance to see the side-by-side development of the GT race car and production car through the eyes of those involved during the intense development timeline.

"Ford was born on the race track," said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, in the documentary. "It really is how we began as a company, with my great-grandfather (Henry Ford). Ever since then, we’ve raced."

Fifty years after Ford defeated its rivals for the first time on the global sportscar racing stage at the Circuit de la Sarthe, it decided to go back to attempt a repeat. Incredibly, the united effort of Ford, Ford Performance and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing sent four Ford GTs to Le Mans and put two on the winners’ podium with a category win for the No. 68 Ford GT and a third-place finish for the No. 69 Ford GT.

"We’ve always been thinking about building a new Ford GT," said Raj Nair, executive vice president and president, Ford North America. "The 50^th anniversary of the win in 1966 was coming up and we felt we really had to do something to honor that win."

"As a director and an avid racing enthusiast I set out to make a passion project of a movie," said Director Erich Joiner. "I was able to shoot things that very few people ever get to witness about building a world class race car and program. And then putting this new car and team up against the best in the world at the Le Mans 24 Hours. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will never forget."

"The Return" debuts to the global audience on the eve of the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, where all four Ford GTs will fight for the trophy. The green flag drops on June 17.