In 1969, two names more than any others best represented the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and that of rock and roll: Jacky Ickx and Woodstock.

GT40 and 917, one legend follows another – Though the Porsche 917 dominated the top two spots during qualifying, with a record pole position thanks to Rolf Stommelen at an average 239 kph (3:22.9), the Ford GT40 was not to be underestimated. Stommelen and teammate Kurt Ahrens took off in the lead while Jacky Ickx started dead last after walking to his car in protest of the running Le Mans start. Incredibly, by the seventh hour, the Belgian driver and his British teammate Jackie Oliver had managed to climb to the top 5 as Stommelen-Ahrens found themselves delayed with an oil leak. Thanks to the retirement of the other factory 917 of leaders Vic Elford-Richard Attwood in the 21st hour, Ickx and Oliver then dueled for the win with the Porsche 908 of Gérard Larrousse-Hans Herrmann. After definitively taking the lead in the final lap, the Belgian beat Herrmann by only 120 meters. In 1969, the 37th running of the 24 Hours was a veritable passing of the baton: with the GT40, Ford scored a legendary victory like Porsche would do the next two years with the 917.

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 14-15 JUNE 1969. John Wyer masterfully concluded the Ford GT40s adventures at the race by placing two of his team's cars on the podium, with the snatched victory of Jacky Ickx-Jackie Oliver (#6 above) and third place for the Brits David Hobbs-Mike Hailwood (#7 below). 

1969: Climax at Woodstock – In the history of rock and roll, the years of Ford's four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours saw the emergence of a new generation of musicians born during World War II, including Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa (1966), the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix (1968) and Chicago (1969) to name a few. A fusion began between rock and jazz improvisation, and blues and hard rock thanks to the likes of Cream and Led Zeppelin. In 1969, the Beatles' final recording sessions gave us Abbey Road, and The Who produced the double rock opera album Tommy. From 15-18 August, the Woodstock music festival took its rightful place in history and in our collective memories, namely thanks to a documentary filmed by Michael Wadleigh. In his crew figured a 26-year-old filmmaker who has since made a name for himself to say the least: "There was a platform for photographers at the edge of the stage where I grabbed a spot. There are even a bunch of photos of me with a hat over my ears," said Martin Scorsese in 2011 in an interview for Richard Schickel's book of biographies. "I stayed there three days and three nights as an assistant to the director."

For the 24 Hours of Le Mans as for rock and roll, the early 1970s extended the greatness of the era with wins for the Porsche 917 and more legendary songs to come.

PHOTO ABOVE (Copyright) - GT40 rights holder, Safir GT40 commissioned from Canadian luthier Hoodoo Guitars limited edition instruments inspired by iconic cars. This was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ford's wins at Le Mans. Pictured here is the guitar decorated like the Ford GT40 of 1969 winners Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver.