Ford announced plans Thursday to enter an LMDh prototype in the World Endurance Championship in 2027, taking the American manufacturer back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the top category of sports car racing.

The Ford Motor Co. will return to the top level of prototype sports car racing in 2027 in the World Endurance Championship series with a factory team that will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford.

After the 1960s, Ford exited from the top-tier prototype class and competed in production-focused class racing around the world. In 2016, it won the Le Mans GT class with a mid-engine GT, and then finished second in the GT class last year with the debut of its Mustang GT3.

The Blue Oval brand will field a full factory FIA WEC team to try and capture its first outright win in nearly six decades.

Ford will develop a new top-tier sports car to compete for overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class from 2027 onwards, aiming to continue where its G

In the year that will mark six decades since Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt won the race in a GT40 Mk. IV, Ford is headed back to the world's greatest sports car race. Not just with a GT car, but with an LMDh-spec prototype, competing in the top class for the overall win.

The Blue Oval's factory effort will compete in WEC's Hypercar class with eyes on a Le Mans 24-hour overall victory for the first time since 1982

RM Sotheby’s will sell a Ford GT40 Mk II on behalf of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum at its upcoming Miami auction The car raced in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Ford famously triumphed over Ferrari The current estimate is between $8 million and $11 million The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans marked a pivotal point in motorsports,