company to develop a new car for racing. The Tipo 65 was built in only 7 weeks, with a mid-mounted 5-litre engine in a ‘birdcage’ frame. Replacing the destroyed Tipo 59, it left no time to test before the race for its drivers Jo Siffert and Jochen Neerpasch The final big-engine entry was the returning Iso Grifo A3C. Originally there were to be three but two cars had been wrecked earlier in the year at Sebring. Porsche had got their desired 185 bhp flat-six engine fitted for their 904 GTS cars, alongside the flat-eight (225 bhp) with three works cars entered and a spare. Opposing them were two British cars – a privately entered Elva and the return of the Rover turbine, first seen in the 1963 race, now categorised as equivalent to 1992cc. It had a new coupé body and ceramic rotary generators as heat exchangers which halved its fuel consumption. It would be driven by F1 drivers Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart Curiously, in the small-engine categories, Alpine was the only French manufacturer present. A new model, the M65 had aerodynamic tailfins and a new 1.3-litre Gordini engine that developed 135 bhp pushing it to 250 kp/h (155 mph). It was given to Mauro Bianchi/Henri Grandsire. The other four works cars were a mix of engines and body styles. Their opposition were a pair of the latest Sebring Sprites from Austin Healey. Fitted with the 1293cc engine in the Mini-Cooper S they could reach 240 kp/h (148 mph) In the GT classes Ferrari were now the underdog after being beaten by the Shelby Cobras the previous year, and the races since. Five of the six Shelbys that had been made were at Le Mans, prepared by Alan Mann Racing: two for Shelby American, and one each for Ford France, Scuderia Filipinetti and AC Cars themselves. For his part, after his fit of pique, Ferrari homologated his new road-car the 275 GTB. The racing version had the 3.3-litre V12 engine extended to 300 bhp and lightened with magnesium castings. After protests from Carroll Shelby were upheld for being significantly lighter than the production car – 1100 kg - ballast had to be added. Cars were being prepared for Ecurie Francorchamps and Scuderia Sant Ambroeus. In the smaller GT classes were the 2-litre Porsche 904s with the homologated 4-cylinder engine. Autodelta, Alfa Romeo's racing division, brought the Giulia TZ2 rebodied