KEN MILES

The real winner of Le Mans '66
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Ken Miles at 12 Hours of Sebring, Sebring International Raceway, 27 March 1965.

Ken Miles was key in Ford's triumph at Le Mans in 1966, developing and racing the Ford GT40, as depicted in the film Le Mans '66. He also developed the Shelby Cobra. But Miles is also known for missing out on the Le Mans win in 1966; he gave up a dominant lead in an effort to ensure a tied finish with the second placed GT40, driven by Bruce McLaren, which went on to be awarded the victory.

THE STORY OF THE LEGEND

1918

Ken Miles was born in Sutton Coldfield, England.

1933

At the age of 15 he met his future wife Mollie and purchased an Austin 7 Special that she painted in British Racing Green. It was this year when his engineering prowess was realised and he quit school to become an apprentice at Wolseley Motors.

1949

Miles’s racing career began, first racing at Silverstone, when his name appeared in Motor Sport once more as the driver of a Mercury V8 powered Frazer Nash that he took to various hillclimbs and club races.

1951

Started working for Gough Industries, and entered races for the company in a stock MG-TD.

Ken Miles stepping into Dolphin Mk 2., March 1961
Ford GT40 Mk II and the Ferrari 330 P3 Spyder Photo: Motorsport Images.
1953

Miles won his first race in the United States, at Pebble Beach and won every race in the under-1500cc class that year.

1956 - 1957

Miles graduated to a Porsche 550, he fitted the Porsche engine and drivetrain to a Cooper chassis.

1958 -1963

Miles won 38 of 44 races he entered, also driving part-time for Sunbeam distributor Rootes. He was swiftly picked up by Carroll Shelby to test and race the Cobra.

1966

He and Ruby won Daytona 24 Hours for Ford and Shelby American in the MKIIB GT40, with GT40s sweeping all of the podium places.


His greatest triumph came at Le Mans. MkII GT40s were dominating the Le Mans 24 Hours, occupying the top four positions. Shelby was ordered to orchestrate a formation finish to trigger a dead heat, with Denny Hulme/Miles in the lead ahead of McLaren/Amon in third. Miles slowed down, realising that in the event of a dead heat, the qualifying times would be used and McLaren would have been declared the winner.

Jaded from Ford’s orders, he resigned himself to taking second place and McLaren was the winner.


On August 18, 1966, Miles died testing a J-Car at Californian circuit Riverside. Miles died having given Ford and Shelby everything he had, but his life was taken away by the GT40.