Ford P68

The Ford P68, also commonly known as the Ford 3L GT or F3L, is a sports prototype racing car introduced in March 1968. It was designed by Len Bailey, a Ford research engineer, funded by Ford Europe and built by Alan Mann Racing in England.

Photo above: Frank Gardner and Richard Attwood were forced to retire their pretty P68 with mechanical issues, at the 1968 1000 km of the Nürburgring won by Siffert and Elford on board of a works Porsche 908.

The first competition appearance of a Ford 3L prototype was at the BOAC 500 race at Brands Hatch. It delivered a good pace, but was criticised by its drivers for instability at high speeds. It did not finish any of the races in which it was entered, due to mechanical and electrical failures.

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 (picture below), 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 was not eligible to race in the respective class any longer.