This year marks the 50th anniversary of the only All-American triumph in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the famed international sports car classic which was won by A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney in the No. 1 Ford GT 40/MkIV. Foyt Family Wines is launching its first sparkling wine No. 1 to commemorate that victory.
The historic triumph also marked the birth of “Champagne Spraying” in the Winner’s Circle thanks to Gurney’s impromptu decision to spray it instead of drink it. Gurney would go on to win his first Formula One race the week after that victory where he was able to repeat his victory lane celebration. Foyt had won his third Indianapolis 500 two weeks before Le Mans.
“It’s exciting to see that A.J. has chosen the beautiful Ford Mark IV to be featured on this special anniversary wine,” said Edsel Ford II. “His victory 50 years ago with Dan Gurney in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans was historic, and it’s great to see that All-American win being remembered in such a unique way.”
“We sprayed champagne in celebration of our Le Mans victory in 1967,” said Gurney. “Let’s do it again with this sparkling wine in celebration of the 50th anniversary of that historic motorsports milestone!”
The bottle features the image of the historic race car, which was provided by The Henry Ford, the company’s museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The image is silk screened and wrapped 360 degrees around the bottle.
“I think the bottle design turned out great!” Foyt said. “It brings back a lot of wonderful memories of that race.”
“We wanted to celebrate A.J.’s 1967 accomplishments in the Ford GT40/Mk IV and the historical significance of that feat. We are honored to stamp the legacy of A.J. and Mr. Gurney and Ford on our bottle. It was one of our more complicated offerings to execute so a big thank you to our friends at Weibel Vineyards for their assistance. I am thrilled with the results,” said Chris Perry, managing partner of Foyt Family Wines.
The bottle features the image of the historic race car, which was provided by The Henry Ford, the company’s museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The image is silk screened and wrapped 360 degrees around the bottle.
“I want to thank Dan, my dad and The Henry Ford for collaborating with us on this project,” said Larry Foyt, co-founder of Foyt Family Wines along with A.J. Foyt IV. “Winemakers Tom Meadowcroft and Petar Kirilov exceeded our expectations.”
Only 125 cases of this collectors’ bottle was produced and it is available only at Foytwines.com or at the Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway, Ind.
SOURCE: AJ Foyt Racing