XGT-2’s preserved state is wonderful, and I feel hugely privileged to be the first to test it after its masterful restoration by Precision Auto, Mark Allin’s talented, Massachusetts-based team. Once ensconced in the Formula bucket seat, a specific request by GP ace Hill over the factory’s signature parachute-silk and brass-ringlet item, you quickly feel comfortable. The preparation for Ford’s third Le Mans challenge reached NASA-style levels of research, testing and development, all with massive investment. The Blue Oval was leaving nothing to chance this time. And, unlike rival Ferraris and Porsches, the MkII feels comfortable and organised from the off. For a racer, the ergonomics – perfectly positioned outside-right gearlever gate, relaxed stretch to the thin, leather-trimmed three-spoke wheel, clear gauges and switchgear – is brilliantly considered. Restorer Allin went to remarkable lengths to source or fabricate an authentic-looking wiring harness, even making the correct connector plugs from scratch. “The big parts were easy, but the little details were a challenge,” recalls Allin of the two-year rebuild.
The ’66 Le Mans saga is one I know in detail, and sitting in XGT-2’s warm cockpit, baked by the high sun, the interior details and dynamic aura of this hugely important car vividly bring history to life. As I carefully close the door, I can’t help thinking about Miles’ frustration when he crushed the flyweight aluminum opening with his helmet in the sister Shelby Team car P/1015 at the start. The resulting crunch forced an early pit to sort the damage, and ultimately may have lost him the race. I practise fastening the belts, remembering that Ford team boss Leo Beeb had ordered that harnesses were secured at the start, rather than waiting for the Mulsanne to clunk-click. Were nobody watching, I’d have tried a running approach, leapt in, slammed the door, flicked the starter, and roared off, leaving long lines of torched rubber just as Hill did for his start from sixth slot along the pit-wall.