Passing a sign indicating the direction of Le Mans, a Ford GT with the pedal to the metal startles in a field on the other side of the road a horse...prancing. The final image in the video presented at the same time as the car the day before the start of the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is at once a nod to history as well as an advertisement. The American manufacturer is returning to Le Mans and entering the World Endurance Championship to win. With at its helm Chip Ganassi, one of the most powerful outfit owners across the Atlantic. Last weekend, he celebrated with his driver Scott Dixon an 11th title in IndyCar single-seaters to add to his four Grand Am titles (now the Tudor United SportsCar Championship).

When Ford descended upon Le Mans in the mid-1960s to challenge Ferrari, it seemed like David and Goliath, referring to Ford's industrial and financial power. In 2016 the balance will be largely restored, due to Fiat's stake in Ferrari in 1969...no stranger to the Ford-Ferrari duel at Le Mans. But it was also a story of strong personalities, between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II. Here's to the head-to-head confrontation coming in 2016 between Chip Ganassi, winner in all the big American disciplines, and Amato Ferrari (no relation to Enzo, by the way), AF Corse owner, who has snatched every LM GTE Pro title since the inception of the World Endurance Championship in 2012. A highly-anticipated "reunion" to say the least...

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: At the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, will the Ford GT battle the Ferrari 458 Italia or the new 488 GTB? The answer soon.