Ford is considering returning to Le Mans with an EcoBoost-powered car

Racer magazine is reporting that Ford may be poised to return to Le Mans in the coming years. As we all know, Ford competed at Le Mans in the mid-through-late ’60s, bringing home four consecutive overall wins with the legendary GT40. The new program would not, according to Racer, seek to relive those glory days, but would instead compete for class wins in the LMP2 category.

Ford currently competes in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship series, racing two factory-backed, EcoBoost-powered Daytona Prototypes. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6 that powers those prototypes could wind up in an LMP2 car, if the Le Mans program is greenlit. Ford’s biggest claim to fame at Le Mans is the four consecutive wins scored by the GT40 from 1966 to 1969. A Ford LMP2 effort probably wouldn’t top that, as an overall win would be out of the question. Still, Ford would have the chance to scrap with Nissan and Honda for in-class honors.

Currently, LMP2 regulations are somewhat split between the United SportsCar Championship in North America on the one hand and ACO-sanctioned series like the European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series and FIA World Endurance Championship on the other, but plans are underway for the regulations to be unified in time for the 2017 season. That could be when Ford is targeting its return, allowing it to compete on both sides of the Atlantic to maximize its exposure.

Racer suggests Ford might turn to Canadian outfit Multimatic Motorsports for its carbon fiber monocoque chassis, as the two companies previously worked together on an earlier Daytona Prototype. With the TUSCC series expected to eventually move to a unified LMP2-style chassis to close the gap between Daytona Prototypes and current P2s, the Ford-powered racer could debut for the 2016 TUSCC season with an eye on the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford would run the cars first in the Tudor series to acquire aero and engine data. Racer notes that Ford recently listed a job posting for an aerodynamics supervisor, who would oversee stock car and sports car racing programs. Read more about the story here.