1969 Alan Mann Racing Open Sports Ford

Alan Mann was a British motor racing driver and team owner during the 1960s whose operation was based in Byfleet, Surrey, later establishing his own Ford dealership. He competed with success in international sports and touring car categories, and was involved in Ford's global assault on international motorsports during the 1960s with the Ford GT40 program. He raced and prepared Ford Zephyrs, Anglias, and Cortina GTs (among others) for British saloon car races. The Alan Mann Racing became a Ford factory team in 1964, with team cars competing in events such as the Monte Carlo Rally, the Tour de France Automobile, and the 24 Hours of LeMans. They developed a lightweight version of the Ford GT40 for LeMans in 1966, giving it a light alloy body among other modifications.

The Alan Mann Racing livery of red and gold was applied to various Ford models including the Cortina, Falcon, Escort, and the GT40. Their talents and expertise were also enlisted for film and TV work, as they were the builders of the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the film of the same name. Other work was done for the James Bond film Goldfinger and for Steve McQueen on his film projects.

Alan Mann Racing built the Len Bailey-designed Ford F3L endurance racing sports car near the close of the 1960s.

After hearing that Ford was planning to withdraw its extensive support to its international motorsport budget, he sold his racing team to Australian driver Frank Gardner and left motor racing.

This Alan Mann Open Sports Ford is a Len Bailey-designed Can-Am car built in 1969. Using many parts from the F3L project, it had an aluminum monocoque used to house various engines including a bored-out small-block Ford unit fitted with Lucas fuel injection. It rested on six-spoke wheels with quick-release center spinners with 24-inch wide rear wheels.

With a Weslake small-block engine, the car was tested at Goodwood by Frank Gardner and Denny Hulme where it showed tremendous potential. One of the highlights of its racing career was a 3rd place finish in Texas during the 1969 Can-Am Championship where it was piloted by Jack Brabham. A tremendous accomplishment considering that the McLaren team won all 11 rounds of the 1969 SCCA Can-Am series, including 8 with 1-2 finishes.

The Open Sports Ford made its racing debut at Riverside where it arrived painted in a two-tone metallic blue and gold colour scheme. Frank Gardner qualified the car in 10th position, but it was forced to retire prematurely due to a suspension failure. Its second race of the 1969 Can-Am season (and the final race for the year) was at Texas International Speedway where it qualified 7th. It ran as high as 2nd late in the race, but had to slow due to an engine oil leak, ultimately finishing in 3rd overall. The car had shown spectacular potential but sadly Texas was its last Can-Am race in period.
By Daniel Vaughan | May 2019