Holman Moody arrived at Le Mans in 1966 with three GT40 Mk IIs including the beautiful royal blue #6 with white stripes for Mario Andretti and Lucien Bianchi. Decorated with yellow across the nose, the car was very handsome indeed.
Together, the Italian-American and Belgian drivers were hoping for a good result. The young Andretti was coming on strong, winning the 1965 USAC Championship and with victories coming frequently in 1966. However, he had only a handful of sportscar races under his belt and Le Mans was to be his first race in a GT40! Bianchi was vastly more experienced in sports cars, with successes that included three straight Tour de France victories from 1957 to 1959, and a Sebring 12 Hour win in 1962 with Jo Bonnier.
As the race unfolded, Andretti/Bianchi worked their way up from their twelfth place qualifying performance to sixth place, mixing it up with the fastest cars in the field: their Ford stablemates, factory Ferraris, and Chaparral. Despite steady and careful driving, the big Ford V8 dropped a valve, ending their day in the eighth hour.
In 1967, Andretti/Bianchi would be paired again in a GT40 Mk IV.