4 replies to this topic

[Gil Bouffard]

Back a long time ago, someone posed the question "If Richie Ginther was not a member of the Ford team, how did he help Ford's aerodynamic problem?

The statement that Richie had contributed to Ford was attributed to Phil Hill.

I have known that Richie was THE test driver for Ferrari and in a sense was an engineering genius. So much that the Ferrari technical and mechanical teams were sad to have him leave.

Once again, referring to Doug Nye's book, Dino-The little Ferrari, Osprey Publishing 1979.

This is how Richie Ginther contributed to Ford's GT-40 project.

"Two days after that press announcement (introducing the new 1961 Ferrari 246SP. My words), von Trips was testing the prototype high-fin 246SP ('0790') at Modena when, charging fast into the sharp left-hander before the pit straight, a brake disc apparently failed, knocking back the pads as Trips braked. With only the rears effective he was unable to slow the car sufficiently, and it clipped the inside kerb and rolled over, bounced and landed upside down. Trips crawled out unhurt from beneath the car and luckily its damage was confined to the bodywork and front suspension. On 14 March at Monza Richie Ginther tested all the works sports-racers intended for the Sebring 12-Hours. During these tests it was found that the curved elevation body form created inherent instability which the optimistic headrest fin could not control. Chiti's crew worked on the spot with Medardo Fantuzzi to correct the car's aerodynamics, adding a second fin at one point and even trying converging fins. Richie sat on the pit counter, examining the problem in his mind. He recalled the aerodynamic effect of trim tabs on aircraft and after some argument with the engineers, Fantuzzi's panel beaters fashioned an aluminium vertical fence which they tacked across the lip of the car's tail. Instantly the car was transformed. After further modifications to the 'spoiler' and to the tail's top edge to break up this effect, Ginther immediately found that although top speed dropped and he was not achieving such high revs on the Monza straights, the car's handling through corners was so much improved that lap times dropped. He declared the 246SP the besthandling sports car he had ever driven.

The tail lip had broken up airflow over the high tail, thus killing lift which reduced the rear-tyre loading at high speed. Properly made triangular section double-skin 'spoilers' were fitted to the sports-racers for Sebring."

That "Richie Ginther," like tail lip was adapted to the Ford GT40 bodywork. And that is why Phil gave Richie the credit.

Gil

[Don Capps]

Also, Ginther was a feature of several commercials that Ford made concerning the GT-40. IIRC correctly, he did the testing and development work for FAV when they moved into Slough and got the project cranking. At my desk, but didn't Ginther drive the GT-40 at the 1964 Le Mans Test Days?

[Roger Clark]

I don't really understand the question. Giinther raced a Ford at LE Mans in 1964.

[Dennis David]

Don we need to kill this thread quick before Joe Fan finds it!;)

[Don Capps]

DD, I just had the same thought.....