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The great aerodynamic shape of this Len Bailey designed Ford F3L P68, belies its fate. The car introduced in 1968 was meant to be the successor to the ageing Ford GT40, also complying with the new 3 liter group 6 prototype formula.
The car was managed by Alan Mann Racing team of Byfleet, a team of high repute, always turning out immaculate red and gold cars.
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But it never was a success of any kind, moreover the Ford GT 40, it was supposed to eclipse, went on to win the Le Mans 24h. in both 1968 and 1969 under the John Wyer Gulf Team banner.
The fact that the F3L would never be a great success in long distance racing was mainly due to the fact that this car was propelled by the Ford Cosworth 3 ltr. DFV V8. This engine, the brainchild of Keith Duckworth was the prime F1 engine for many years, collecting 12 F1 world championships an winning 176 GP's, but it was no endurance engine in the days of the Ford F3L, by a landslide.
It took another 8 years of development before a DFV would be successful at long distant racing and Le Mans.
The DFV made its debut at the Zandvoort GP of 1967, the late Jim Clark winning in the Lotus 49 first time out. I was there at Zandvoort to see it happen. Scotsman Jim Clark was and is still my #1 F1 driver.
The day is the 7th April of 1968, a day that will stick in my mind for ever and a month; the Ford F3L makes its debut at the Brands Hatch BOAC 500 km race.
Months before that race, Colin Chapman of Team Lotus was approached by Ford to prepare and surrender two Ford DFV engines to Alan Mann Racing. Lotus being the only team to have availability of this engine. That changed in 1969 when more F1 teams got the DFV as well.
Also Ford wanted both Team Lotus top drivers Jim Clark and Graham Hill to debut the Ford F3L at Brands Hatch on the 7th of April to get maximum exposure of the new car.
Chapman was not amused, to say the least, to release the engines, knowing how precious they were, also knowing their limitations in endurance racing. But Ford forced Chapman to follow their demands.
As a kind of personal satisfaction Colin Chapman was ever so happy to be able to withdraw both Jimmy and Graham from the F3L debut, because of a clash in sponsorship interests, Team Lotus was running on Firestone tires, Alan Mann was contracted to Good Year. The debut was performed by Mike Spence and Bruce McLaren, it was a non finisher.
Instead Colin Chapman transferred both Clark and Hill to a F2 race at Hockenheim. A race, run in dreadful conditions, of very little importance.
I was out in the street with my friends on Sunday 7th April 1968 when my mother called me to come inside the house.
She told me she just heard on the radio that Jim Clark had died in a race in Germany. The world of motorsport was in shock.
I was sick instantly, did not have dinner that evening and sat in my room for hours staring at the wall in disgust.
The irony of fate connected to this beautiful car.
30 years later I visited the Jim Clark room at Duns in Scotland, as well as his grave to pay my respects.
My signature is in the guest book, below that of Ayrton Senna, who flew out of Brasil to pay his respects to a man the admired.
