The company announced today its Ford GT supercar will once again compete in the World Endurance Championship, including its premier race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, starting next year.

If you don't know your racing history, this is very exciting. See, the new Ford GT is the indirect descendent of the world-eviscerating GT40 from a half-century ago, one of the greatest cars of the 20th century.

Back in the '60s, Henry Ford II tried to buy Ferrari. After Enzo walked away from the deal over a dispute about open-wheel racing, an enraged Ford ordered his engineers to build a car that could whoop Ferrari on the long-distance world endurance racing circuit.