The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the biggest and best automotive events of the year. It always brings together some of the best cars and drivers in the world at one of the greatest venues in all of motoring.
In 2026, with America’s 250th birthday part of the celebrations, there was a very special recreation at the event. Goodwood had managed to bring in the three Ford GT40 race cars that swept Le Mans in 1966 with the controversial yet iconic three-wide photo finish.
Of course, the car of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon won the race, although it really should have been that of Ken Miles and Denny Hulme. But Ford’s efforts to stage a photo finish, coupled with the rule that stated the car that had started further down the grid had travelled the most distance in a photo finish, handed the win to McLaren and Amon.
With all three cars at Goodwood, it was only natural that there was an attempt to recreate that amazing photo finish. And the famous event pulled it off, as the crowds got to see the three cars fly up the hill in formation.
Why the Finish of the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours Was Controversial
The circumstances around Le Mans in 1966 were immortalized in the film Ford vs Ferrari, although they were slightly overdramatized for Hollywood. Ford had used team orders during the race, as it was desperate to beat Ferrari to win the endurance race, having failed to do so in 1965 with a fast but fragile GT40.
The three cars went over the finish line in formation, and it should have been Miles and Hulme who won. However, the rules stated that if a race ended in a dead heat, the car that started furthest down the grid was declared the winner, as it had effectively driven the most distance during the event. That gave the win to McLaren and Amon, while Miles was naturally disappointed.
Tragically, Miles lost his life in a testing accident at Riverside, driving the Ford GT40 J-Car. This would become the Mk IV, and it would win Le Mans in 1967. A race that, had he taken part in, Miles almost certainly would have won to make up for 1966. In a way, it made the formation at Goodwood, 60 years after Le Mans 1966, a tribute to Miles, as well as the rest of the Ford drivers.
How Goodwood Recreated the Finish to Le Mans 1966
The three cars at Goodwood were the original three from that day. The two Shelby cars driven by McLaren and Amon, and Hulme and Miles, as well as the Holman & Moody car driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson. Recently, the three cars have come under the ownership of the Miller Family Automobile Foundation. They previously owned the first- and third-placed cars, but now own all three.
As such, the cars were brought together again for Goodwood, and it was decided to drive them together up the famous hillclimb. The cars were driven by 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti, with son Michael and grandson Marco at the wheel of the other cars. Both younger Andrettis have made a name for themselves in IndyCar racing, as did Mario. The three cars will reunite at Goodwood in September for the Goodwood Revival event.