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Ford P68

Ford P68/P69
Ford F3L - Flickr - andrewbasterfield.jpg
Category Sports prototype
Constructor Alan Mann Racing
Designer(s) Len Bailey
Technical specifications
Chassis Aluminium monocoque, with steel bulkheads
Suspension (front) Double wishbone
Suspension (rear) Single top link with reversed lower wishbone and twin trailing arms
Engine Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993cc 90° V8, naturally aspirated, mid mounted
Transmission Hewland DG300 5-speed manual
Fuel Burmah
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Alan Mann Racing
Notable drivers New Zealand Bruce McLaren
United Kingdom Mike Spence
United Kingdom Chris Irwin
Austria Jochen Rindt
Mexico Pedro Rodríguez
Australia Frank Gardner
United Kingdom Richard Attwood
New Zealand Denny Hulme
Debut 1968 BOAC 500
Brands Hatch
Races Wins Poles F.Laps
8 0 1 1
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Ford P68, also commonly known as the Ford 3L GT or F3L, is a sports prototype racing car model introduced in March 1968 by Ford. The first competition appearance of a Ford 3L was at the BOAC 500 race at Brands Hatch in Kent.

For the 1969 season the P68 was used as the basis for an aborted, fully open Spyder, dubbed the Ford P69. The P69 sported large, free-standing aerofoil wings, which were vital to the car's stability at high-speeds. However, these were banned by the European sanctioning body early in the season, thus the P68 wasn't eligible to race in the respective class any longer .

At the end of the 1967 season the FIA redrew the rules for sports car racing. Engine capacity was limited to 3 litres for the lightest, most advanced Group 6 sports prototype class, while a new 5 litre Group 4 Sports Car class was introduced for vehicles of which at least 50 examples had been built. Ford's American headquarters organisation withdrew from sports car racing at the end of 1967, leaving those teams committed to running the aging GT40 without factory support. While some teams, such as JWA, decided to go down the Group 4 Sports Car route and began work on updating the GT40, Alan Mann Racing decided to build a brand new prototype car around Ford's recently introduced 3.0L DFV V8 Formula One engine.

Raising sponsorship from Ford, as well as Burmah-Castrol and Goodyear, AMR procured the services of leading Ford aerodynamicist Len Bailey, who had designed much of the GT40's bodywork, to work on their new car.


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