Original subtitles

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS,"

THE GT40, AN ICON OF RACECAR HISTORY, RIDES AGAIN.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE AMERICAN CAR MAKER SUPERFORMANCE BUILDS GT40s

AT THEIR HIGH-TECH AUTOMOTIVE FACTORY

IN PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA.

THE VEHICLE THEY BUILD IS CONSIDERED A REAL GT40

BECAUSE IT IS A CONTINUATION

OF THE ORIGINAL CELEBRATED CHAMPION CAR.

THE STORY BEHIND THE GT40 IS A FIXTURE OF AUTOMOTIVE LORE.

PRIOR TO THE 1960s,

EUROPEAN CARS DOMINATED THE WORLD

OF LONG-DISTANCE CAR RACING.

NO AMERICAN MANUFACTURER

HAD EVER WON THE 24-HOUR LE MANS RACE.

HENRY FORD II WAS FED UP.

HE DESPERATELY WANTED TO WIN THE LE MANS.

IN 1963,

ITALIAN RACECAR DRIVER ENZO FERRARI

CONSIDERED SELLING HIS COMPANY TO FORD.

BUT WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR

THAT FERRARI WANTED TO HOLD ONTO HIS RACECARS

AND ONLY SELL HIS ROAD VEHICLES,

FORD DECIDED TO TURN DOWN FERRARI'S OFFER.

INSTEAD, HE MADE A DEAL

WITH THE BRITISH RACECAR MANUFACTURER LOLA

TO DEVELOP THEIR MID-ENGINED Mk6

INTO A FERRARI-DOMINATING CHAMPION.

FORD ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF DESIGNERS IN ENGLAND,

WHERE THEY WENT TO WORK

CREATING THE MOST ADVANCED RACECAR OF ITS TIME.

FROM 1966 TO 1969,

GT40s WON FOUR CONSECUTIVE LE MANS VICTORIES.

ONE PARTICULAR CAR, THE GT40 MK 1, NUMBER 1075,

BECAME THE FIRST AND ONLY INDIVIDUAL CAR

TO WIN BACK-TO-BACK VICTORIES, IN 1968 AND 1969.

THE ORIGINAL DESIGNS FOR THE GT40

WERE HANDCRAFTED TECHNICAL DRAWINGS.

SUPERFORMANCE HAS SCANNED THEM INTO A C.A.D. SOFTWARE PROGRAM.

THEY FOLLOW THE DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL SO CLOSELY

THAT THEIR CARS ARE CONSIDERED A CONTINUATION SERIES,

MEANING THEY ARE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL GT40s

IN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MATERIALS.

HERE WORKERS TIG-WELD AND SPOT-WELD TOGETHER

AN ALL-STEEL MONOCOQUE CHASSIS.

THE GT40 WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ROAD VEHICLES

TO FEATURE A STEEL MONOCOQUE.

THE SUPERFORMANCE GT40 CHASSIS

EVEN INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL DOUBLE-LAYERED STEEL ROOF

WITH CUTAWAYS FOR THE DOORS,

A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT ELEMENT TO BUILD.

THE TWO FUEL TANKS RUN ALONG THE SIDES OF THE CAR

IN REINFORCED CAVITIES.

TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL GT40,

SUPERFORMANCE BUILDS THE REST OF THE CAR BODY

OUT OF FIBERGLASS COMPOSITES.

THEY HAND-LAYER SHEETS OF FIBERGLASS AND RESIN

INTO THE APPROPRIATE MOLDS,

THEN CURE THEM IN AN OVEN FOR EIGHT HOURS AT 176 DEGREES.

THE TECHNICIANS WORK ON THE FRONT SECTION OF THE CAR

BY SIMPLY UNLATCHING AND LIFTING IT OFF.

THE DESIGNERS OF THE GT40 INCLUDED THESE FEATURES

TO GIVE MECHANICS QUICK AND COMPLETE ACCESS

TO THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE CAR

WHEN IT MAKES PIT STOPS DURING A RACE.

TWO TECHNICIANS SPEND AN ENTIRE WEEK

WORKING ON A SINGLE CAR BODY.

THEY ADD CREAM-COLORED FILLER AND REDUCE THE GRAY COMPOSITE

TO SMOOTH OUT THE SURFACE

AND ENSURE THE FIT AND FINISH ARE FLAWLESS.

NEXT, WORKERS MOUNT THE BODY PANELS ON THE CHASSIS

AND BRING THE ASSEMBLY TO THE PAINT DEPARTMENT.

TECHNICIANS START BY SPRAYING THE AREAS

THAT WILL BE THE COLOR OF THE STRIPE.

THEN A WORKER USES SPECIALIZED TAPE

TO MASK THE AREAS WHERE STRIPES WILL BE.

THE STRIPES MUST LINE UP PERFECTLY

FROM THE BACK TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR.

WHILE A CUSTOMER CAN CHOOSE ANY COLOR OR PATTERN OF STRIPES,

MANY OPT FOR THE ORIGINAL LE MANS RACING STRIPES,

WHICH ARE USED TO QUICKLY AND EASILY IDENTIFY A RACECAR.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT DETAIL IS THE CAR'S RACING NUMBER.

TO MAKE SURE IT'S CLEARLY VISIBLE,

COMPETITORS HAVE THEIR NUMBER

PAINTED INSIDE A LARGE WHITE CIRCLE.

IN MANY ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES,

THIS IS CALLED A ROUNDEL.

BUT IN THE U.S., IT'S KNOWN AS A GUMBALL.

NOW THAT THE ROUND TEMPLATE IS PLACED IN THE APPROPRIATE SPOT,

HE USES MORE TAPE TO MASK THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE GUMBALL.

NEXT, HE USES A WIDER, LESS FLEXIBLE TAPE

TO FURTHER MASK OUT THE AREA SURROUNDING THE TEMPLATE.

HE USES A SMALL HANDHELD RAZOR

FOR CUTTING THE TAPE TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS.

THE SECOND LAYER OF TAPE

MAKES IT HARDER FOR THE PAINT TO BLEED THROUGH.

THE GUMBALL CAN NOW BE PAINTED WHITE.

ONCE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN MASKED,

A PAINTER GOES TO WORK WITH A SPRAY GUN.

ALL OF THE BODY PARTS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY POSITIONED

IN THE SAME ORIENTATION THEY WILL HAVE

TO THE GROUND ONCE ASSEMBLED.

THIS IS BECAUSE GRAVITY EXERTS A SMALL

BUT VISIBLE EFFECT DURING THE DRYING PROCESS.

CORRECT POSITIONING OF THE PARTS ENSURES UNIFORM DRYING.

AFTER WAITING 25 MINUTES TO GIVE THE PAINT TIME TO DRY,

A WORKER BEGINS SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY

REMOVING THE MASKING TAPE.

PERFECTLY FORMED RACING STRIPES EMERGE.

PEELING THE MASKING SYSTEM OFF THE GUMBALL

REQUIRES ALMOST THE SAME AMOUNT OF CARE AND PRECISION

AS APPLYING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

UNDERNEATH IS A FLAWLESS CIRCLE READY FOR ITS RACING NUMBER.

SOME OWNERS MIGHT CHOOSE TO HAVE THE NUMBER 6 PAINTED ON,

SINCE THIS WAS THE NUMBER SPORTED BY THE FAMOUS GT40

THAT WON THE 24-HOUR LE MANS RACE TWICE IN A ROW.

Narrator: AMONG THE MANY FEATURES

THAT IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFY A GT40 ARE THE SEATS,

WITH THEIR LOW-SLUNG POSITION AND DISTINCTIVE BREATHER HOLES.

COMBINING COMFORT AND UTILITY,

THESE ARE THE SEATS OF A WORKING RACECAR.

A SPECIALIST BEGINS THE UPHOLSTERY PROCESS

BY QUILTING A SECTION OF SEAT-COVER MATERIAL

ONTO A BACKING FOAM.

THE SEAT-COVER MATERIAL IS KNOWN AS ALCANTARA.

THIS IS A TRADEMARKED PRODUCT

THAT IMITATES THE LOOK AND FEEL OF SUEDE LEATHER.

IT'S SO CONVINCING

THAT PEOPLE OFTEN MISTAKE IT FOR THE REAL THING.

MANUFACTURERS PRODUCE ALCANTARA

FROM A COMBINATION OF POLYESTER AND POLYURETHANE,

WHICH THEY PUT THROUGH A HIGH-TECH SPINNING PROCESS

TO CREATE A FIBER WITH EXTREMELY LOW MASS.

THEY FURTHER PROCESS THE FIBER

WITH A COMPLEX TEXTILE OPERATION.

THIS INCLUDES NEEDLE PUNCHING,

BUFFING, IMPREGNATION,

EXTRACTION, FINISHING, AND DYEING.

THE RESULT IS A COMFORTABLE, STAIN-RESISTANT,

AND HIGHLY DURABLE MATERIAL --

EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED

WHEN YOU'RE RACING AROUND THE ROADS OF LE MANS

FOR 24 HOURS IN HOT JUNE WEATHER.

THE ORIGINAL GT40 HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING,

SO THE DRIVERS MUST HAVE BEEN SWEATING BUCKETS

DURING THEIR STINTS AT THE WHEEL.

THOSE BREATHER HOLES WERE THERE

TO ALLOW FOR SOME AIR CIRCULATION.

THIS SECTION OF SEAT-COVER MATERIAL

IS READY FOR THE NEXT PHASE.

BECAUSE BREATHER HOLES ARE PIERCED

THROUGH BOTH THE MATERIAL AND THE BACKING FOAM,

THEY NEED REINFORCEMENT.

THE REINFORCEMENT IS CALLED A SEAT GROMMET, OR EYELET.

A WORKER EASES ONE SECTION THROUGH THE HOLE,

THEN FITS THE BACKING PIECE OVER IT.

A HAND-OPERATED PRESS FOLDS THE METAL

IN A WAY THAT FIRMLY GRIPS BOTH SIDES OF THE FABRIC.

THE FINISHED EYELETS ADD TO THE VINTAGE LOOK

OF THE SEAT MATERIAL.

THEY ONCE HAD A FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE.

NOW THEY'RE JUST THERE FOR LOOKS.

UNLIKE THE ORIGINAL,

THE NEW SUPERFORMANCE GT40s ARE FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED.

NOW A CRAFTSMAN BEGINS GLUING THE SEAT-COVER MATERIAL

ONTO THE FOAM CUSHIONING.

FOAM IS ONE OF THE FEW CONTEMPORARY FEATURES

THAT SUPERFORMANCE HAS ADDED.

THE ORIGINAL GT40s HAD WOVEN ELASTICATED WEBBING

UNDER THE SEAT COVERS FOR COMFORT.

THE TENSION OF THE WEBBING COULD BE INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTED

FOR THE WEIGHT OF A PARTICULAR DRIVER.

RACECAR DRIVERS, LIKE HORSE JOCKEYS,

TENDED TO BE SMALL AND LIGHTWEIGHT.

GOOD THING, TOO,

BECAUSE THE GT40 DIDN'T HAVE MUCH ROOM TO SPARE.

IN FACT, THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED A GT40.

"GT" STANDS FOR GRAND TOURING,

WHILE THE 40 IS THERE

BECAUSE THE CAR IS JUST OVER 3 FEET TALL, AT 40 INCHES.

THAT'S VERY LOW TO THE GROUND.

FOR A TALL DRIVER,

THE COCKPIT CAN FEEL A BIT CRAMPED.

LEGENDARY RACECAR DRIVER DAN GURNEY WAS 6'4".

TO HELP HIM SQUEEZE INTO THE GT40,

A SPECIALIST NAMED PHIL REMINGTON

CREATED A METAL BUBBLE

AND RIVETED IT TO THE ROOF TO ACCOMMODATE GURNEY'S HEAD.

IT'S SINCE BECOME KNOWN AS THE GURNEY BUBBLE.

MANY CUSTOMERS SPECIFICALLY REQUEST IT FOR THEIR CAR.

WITH THE BUBBLE ABOVE AND THIS SEAT UNDERNEATH,

THE GT40 PROVIDES A COMFY RIDE ON ANY SURFACE,

WHETHER IT'S A PITTED OLD DIRT ROAD

OR A NEWLY PAVED SUPERHIGHWAY.

Narrator: TO MAKE SURE THEIR GT40s

ARE AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE,

SUPERFORMANCE CUSTOM-BUILDS

NEARLY ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE CAR.

THE MANUFACTURER THAT MADE THE ORIGINAL GAUGES

STILL PRODUCES THEM 50 YEARS LATER.

BASED IN THE U.K.,

THE INSTRUMENT-GAUGE MANUFACTURER

STILL USES THE ORIGINAL TOOLING TO MAKE THEIR PRODUCTS.

BACK IN THE LATE '60s,

ALL OF THE DASHBOARD COMPONENTS WERE ANALOG.

SUPERFORMANCE ENSURES THAT THE DASHBOARD OF THEIR GT40s

REMAIN REMAIN TRUE TO THIS OLD-SCHOOL LOOK.

HERE, A SPECIALIST QUICKLY

AND CAREFULLY LAYS OUT THE WIRING

ON A SETUP CALLED A HARNESS BOARD.

WHILE THE BOARD MAY LOOK CONFUSING AND INTIMIDATING,

THE WIRING SCHEME HAS SIMPLY BEEN DOUBLED BACK ON ITSELF

A FEW TIMES TO SAVE SPACE.

OTHERWISE, THE BOARD WOULD HAVE TO BE THE LENGTH

OF AN ENTIRE GT40.

A BACK VIEW OF THE DASHBOARD

REVEALS SOME OF THE SAME VINTAGE WIRING FEATURES

THAT YOU WOULD SEE IF YOU TOOK APART AN ORIGINAL GT40.

THESE INCLUDE MECHANICAL GAUGES

THAT ARE INSERTED DIRECTLY INTO THE ENGINE.

BRASS FITTINGS ON THE ENDS OF SOME OF THE WIRES

SIT DIRECTLY IN THE ENGINE-FLUID COMPARTMENTS.

BACK IN THE FABRICATION AREA,

A TECHNICIAN PREPARES TO MANUFACTURE

ONE OF THE GT40's REAR CONTROL ARMS BY HAND.

HE CLAMPS ALL THE PARTS INTO A JIG

THAT IS CUSTOM-MADE FOR THIS PART.

ONCE EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE, HE TIG-WELDS IT ALL TOGETHER.

EVERY ELEMENT OF THIS COMPONENT

IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL,

RIGHT DOWN TO THE DIMENSION AND THICKNESS OF THE STEEL TUBES.

THE CONTROL ARM IS A HINGED SUSPENSION LINK

BETWEEN THE CHASSIS AND THE HUB ASSEMBLY.

UNLIKE A WISHBONE,

IT HAS ONLY ONE CONNECTING POINT TO THE CHASSIS.

THIS MEANS THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM NEEDS A SEPARATE LINK,

OR RADIUS ROD,

TO HELP CONTROL THE MOVEMENT OF THE WHEEL.

THE SUSPENSION FOR THE SUPERFORMANCE GT40

FOLLOWS THE LAYOUT OF THE ORIGINAL PRECISELY.

THE REAR SUSPENSION IS FULLY INDEPENDENT,

AND IT INCLUDES TRAILING ARMS, UNEQUAL-LENGTH LATERAL ARMS,

COIL SPRINGS, TUBE SHOCKS, AND AN ANTI-ROLL BAR.

THE FRONT SUSPENSION FEATURES UNEQUAL-LENGTH A-ARMS

WITH COIL-OVER SHOCK AND SPRING TECHNOLOGY.

HERE, SPECIALISTS CREATE THE GT40's TWO FUEL TANKS

BY WELDING TOGETHER PRE-BENT SECTIONS

OF STAINLESS-STEEL SHEETS.

THIS IS AN ELEMENT IN THE SUPERFORMANCE GT40

THAT DIFFERS FROM THE ORIGINAL.

INSTEAD OF STAINLESS STEEL,

THE FUEL TANKS IN THE 1960s FORD GT40s

WERE FLEXIBLE BLADDERS MADE OF RUBBER.

THESE TANKS ARE STILL AVAILABLE, BUT THEY'RE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.

USING STAINLESS STEEL,

SUPERFORMANCE IS ABLE TO BUILD THEIR OWN TANKS.

STAINLESS STEEL IS LESS EXPENSIVE,

SAFER, MORE DURABLE, AND CAN BE BUILT AND TESTED IN HOUSE.

TECHNICIANS NOW TEST OUT THE FINISHED TANKS

BY FILLING THEM WITH AIR, SEALING THEIR OPENINGS,

AND IMMERSING THEM IN A VAT OF WATER.

WITH NO SIGN OF RISING BUBBLES, THIS TANK IS LEAK-FREE.

Narrator: IT MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC RACECARS EVER MADE,

BUT EVEN ICONS HAVE TO BE ASSEMBLED.

IT'S TIME FOR THOSE HANDMADE COMPONENTS TO COME TOGETHER

AND FORM A FULLY OPERATIONAL GT40.

TECHNICIANS INSERT THE STAINLESS-STEEL FUEL TANKS

INTO THEIR COMPARTMENTS.

THE COMPARTMENTS RUN LIKE HOLSTERS

ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CAR.

WITH THE ORIGINAL CAR,

THE TWO TANKS WERE LINKED BY A BIG TUBE,

WHICH RAN THROUGH THE COCKPIT,

DIRECTLY UNDER THE DRIVER'S LEGS.

IT WAS AN ASTOUNDING SAFETY HAZARD

AND IS COMPLETELY UNTHINKABLE IN A CONTEMPORARY CAR.

BACK IN THE LATE 1960s,

RACECAR-DRIVER SAFETY WAS A LOW PRIORITY.

THESE DAYS, IT'S THE TOP PRIORITY.

SUPERFORMANCE HAS REROUTED THE LINK BETWEEN THE TWO TANKS.

NOW THEY'RE JOINED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

WORKERS ATTACH THE FIRST OF THE EXTERIOR BODY PANELS.

THE VEHICLE IS BEGINNING TO TAKE ON THE LEGENDARY FORM

OF THE GT40.

A TECHNICIAN INSTALLS THE ALUMINUM EXPANSION TANK.

SUPERFORMANCE BOASTS THAT OVER 70% OF THE PARTS IN THEIR GT40s

ARE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THE ORIGINAL.

CUSTOM-BUILT IN HOUSE,

THE EXPANSION TANK IS ONE OF THOSE MANY PARTS.

NEXT, THE BATTERY TRAY GOES IN.

THE BATTERY SITS HERE

BECAUSE THERE'S NO ROOM FOR IT ANYWHERE ELSE.

THE TECHNICIAN THEN INSTALLS AN OIL COOLER

ON TOP OF THE BATTERY TRAY.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE WORKERS

TO ATTACH THE REAR SUBASSEMBLY TO THE MONOCOQUE CHASSIS.

A SET OF HINGE POINTS ALLOW THE ENTIRE SUBASSEMBLY TO RAISE UP.

THIS DESIGN FEATURE GIVES MECHANICS FAST AND EASY ACCESS

DURING RACES, WHEN EVERY SECOND COUNTS.

A TECHNICIAN CAREFULLY BOLTS THE REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM

INTO PLACE.

THE CAR'S SUSPENSION IS CRITICAL IN A CAR LIKE THIS,

ESPECIALLY WITH A CHASSIS

THAT IS ONE OF THE STIFFEST ON THE MARKET.

BUT, OF COURSE, WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH-SPEED RACECARS,

THE STIFFER THE CHASSIS, THE BETTER.

WITH THE OPEN C-SHAPED HINGE SYSTEM IN PLACE,

WORKERS CAN NOW BRING THE REAR SECTION OF THE CAR

DOWN INTO POSITION.

A TECHNICIAN USES A RIVETING TOOL

TO ATTACH THE INTAKE FOR A BRAKE-COOLING DUCT.

THIS WILL DIRECT AIR FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR

OVER THE BRAKE DISKS FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY.

THE VENTED-DISK FOUR-POSITION CALIPER BRAKES

COME FROM WILWOOD,

A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF BRAKE COMPONENTS.

THEY MAKE BRAKE PARTS

FOR EVERYTHING FROM GO-KARTS TO HUMVEES.

NOW WORKERS ADD ALUMINUM CLOSURE PANELS

TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH AND AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY

OF THE CAR.

THE SUPERFORMANCE FACTORY IN SOUTH AFRICA SHIPS OUT GT40s

WITH EVERYTHING BUT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION.

CUSTOMERS CAN CHOOSE WHAT POWER TRAIN TO ADD

WHEN THE CAR ARRIVES.

THE ORIGINAL GT40 HAD A DRY-SUMP OIL TANK,

WHICH IS NO LONGER NECESSARY.

SUPERFORMANCE HAS CLEVERLY CONCEALED

THE CAR'S AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

INSIDE A REPLICA OF THAT TANK.

ONCE THE POWER TRAIN HAS BEEN INSTALLED,

TECHNICIANS PUT THE VEHICLE THROUGH A RIGOROUS DYNO TEST,

JUST TO MAKE SURE THE CAR

MEETS ALL THE STRINGENT PARAMETERS

OF THE ORIGINAL GT40 DESIGN.

THE SUPERFORMANCE GT40 ACTUALLY OUTPERFORMS ITS PREDECESSOR.

WHILE THE ENGINES THEY INSTALL ARE MODERN VERSIONS

OF THE ONES FROM THE 1960s, THEY'RE MUCH MORE POWERFUL.

SUPERFORMANCE RECOMMENDS

A SPECIALLY PREPARED FORD RACING ENGINE, OR SHELBY ENGINE,

BUILT WITH THE NEW ZF/RBT STYLE FIVE-SPEED TRANSAXLE.

HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS CAN CHOOSE

ANY FORD BASE 289, 302, OR 351W SMALL-BLOCK,

OR A 427 BIG BLOCK ENGINE.

HENRY FORD II FINALLY GOT HIS REVENGE

ON ENZO FERRARI WITH THE AMAZING GT40,

PUTTING AN END TO THE LEGENDARY ITALIAN CAR MAKER'S

SIX-YEAR WINNING STREAK AT LE MANS.

FORD WAS ACTUALLY IN ATTENDANCE WHEN THE GT40 POWERED TO VICTORY

AT LE MANS IN 1966,

BECOMING THE FIRST CAR FROM AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURER

TO EVER WIN THAT RACE.

THE SPEED MACHINE DOMINATED THE WORLD

OF LONG-DISTANCE CAR RACING FOR YEARS.

NO WONDER SO MANY CAR AFICIONADOS

DREAM OF OWNING THIS ICON OF RACING HISTORY.

THANKS TO SUPERFORMANCE, THAT DREAM CAN BE FULFILLED.