A few short months prior, Shelby had started building a 427 version of the GT-40.
Some in the USA thought that to beat Ferrari in the Prototype class, the large 427 engine from the Galaxie would be necessary in an improved Ford GT chassis.
On a purely experimental basis Shelby was entrusted with the responsibility to install the 427 in a GT40 and to enter it in Le Mans, virtually untested.
The Ford GT was ultimately renamed the Ford GT40 Mark II. It suffered from the very start with transmission problems.
In fact, since there was no gearbox available to cope with such torque, Ford would have to build one: the Kar Kraft T44.
The MKII ran into big problems concerning its brakes, tires and aerodynamics. It would be fitted with wings and flaps for stability purposes.
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