On Line Redline Guide

Casting : Ford Mark IV

Years of Production:

1969

Country of Origin:

US and Hong Kong

Interior and Glass Colors:

Black
US - clear glass
HK - blue glass

Casting Variations:

The US has minor details that are omitted on the HK body
The base on the HK version has four rectangular holes in it
The HK Casting can be found with the body lines inverted
The travel stop for the rear hatch and engine details show variations

Paint Colors and Variations:

Color	US	HK
Aqua	Hard to Find	Rare
Blue	Hard to Find	Common
Light Blue	Hard to Find	-
Brown	Common	-
Green	Hard to Find	Uncommon
Lime Yellow	Common	-
Olive	Common	-
Orange	Common	Rare
Purple	Uncommon	-
Red	Rare	Common
Red Enamel	Most Common	Hard to Find
Rose Red	Common	-
Yellow	Rare	-

Discussion:

The Ford Mk IV, one of the eight new castings released in "Grand Prix" series for 1969, is based on the Ford GT40 Mark IV, raced at LeMans in 1966.

The Ford GT40 Mark IV, at left with Carroll Shelby, and taking the checkered flag at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans with Dan Gurney behind the wheel

The inspiration behind the Mk IV was the Ford GT40 Mark IV, a car with a fascinating history! It was essentially the culmination of Henry Ford's determined effort
to defeat Enzo Ferrari on the race track after a failed bid to acquire Ferrari's company. The 427-powered Ford GT40Mark IIs were wildly successful, and pulled off
a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. However, the Mark II was a heavy car and Ferrari was pulling out all the stops for 1967 in an effort to reclaim
it's racing crown. By way of the J-Car program, the Ford team developed a lightweight aluminum chassis that became the basis of the new Mark IV cars.

The Mark IV made it's debut in 1967 at Sebring, where co-drivers Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren took the checkered flag. On the basis of this victory, Ford built
three more Mark IVs for Le Mans: the most important race of the season. Ferrari countered with eight prototypes, including three light and fast 330 P4s. The race
was a classic battle! At 3:30 AM, Andretti's MarkIV spun out, causing a rash of accidents. But the red #1 Mark IV - driven by Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt - held the
lead through the accident and outran three Ferraris to the finish. The Mark IV never raced again. Ford had beaten Ferrari at Le Mans twice, and that was good enough.

Yellow/Lime Ford Mk IVs

Like all 1969 Grand Prix cars, the Mk IV can be found in most of the first generation colors with the exception of creamy pink and antifreeze. However Mk IVs in second
generation colors are for some reason, fleetingly rare. A couple of yellow Mk IVs have been spotted, but Mk IVs in magenta, light green and hot pink are not believed to exist.
Most "yellow" Mk IVs turn out to be lime rather than true yellow.

Ford Mk IV Engine Cover

Mattel's Ford Mk IV featured a rear hatch that opened to show a detailed engine, and racing stripes and numbers similar to those on the '67 Le Mans winner were
included on a sticker sheet. The Mk IV was produced in various Spectraflame colors, as well as in red enamel. Mk IVs were made at both the US and HK plants.

Differences between HK (Top) and US (Bottom) Ford Mk IVs

HK Ford Mk IVs differ from US cars in that they have blue-tinted windshields, chrome rather than silver wheel trim, and a different base (four square openings).
At least two HK casting variations exist for the Mk IV: one with raised features (e.g. headlights, doorlines) and one with recessed features. The recessed features
variation seems slightly more common.

US (L) - Engine Compartments - HK (R)

Like some of the other Grand Prix castings, the Mk IV casting appears to have been re-worked a few times to improve the rear hatch. Variations can be found with and without
a stop peg to keep the hatch from fully opening. On some of these variations, engine and transmission details also were changed. US cars featured a clear windshield and a black
interior.

Grand Prix Blister Pack and Promo Baggie

The Ford Mk IV was issued on the Grand Prix card, however the red enamel version was used in a laundry soap promotion, enclosed in a heat sealed plastic bag.
Surplus stock of these "baggie" cars circulated in the hobby for years, making them one of the most common redlines ever made!

Sticker Sheet Supplied with the Ford Mk IV

Unlike the other Grand Prix cars, the HK printed sticker sheets for the Mk IV had a different racing number (#5) than did the US sheets.
However, not all HK cars were packaged with HK sheets! Therefore, the #5 sheets are quite a bit more scarce.

HK Ford Mk IVs

Only six HK colors have been seen for the Mk IV, with orange, aqua and red enamel the hardest to find.
Most blue and red Mk IV's are HK-produced, with a frequency of around 100:1 relative to their US counterparts.

US Ford Mk IVs

US made Ford Mk IV's came in more colors than the HK version.

Prototypes:

A number of preproduction pieces have survived for the Ford Mk IV.

A pair of prototype Ford Mk IVs

One is a black enamel car that most likely served as a test of the die tool that was used to cast the car.
Another Mk IV believed to be a prototype is an orange-red car that was found in the collection of a former Mattel employee.

Credits:

Photos and text by Rick Wilson and Ted Gray

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