History: Why didn't Ford just build the Ford GT on the Cooper Monaco chassis

[HistoryBuff]

Shelby already had running, driving and racing Cooper Monaco -based Ford 289 cu. in. powered "King Cobras "
in '64, why did Ford ignore those and pour money into the Lola Mk.VI -inspired design? Or was the top end of the open Cooper-Monaco based King Cobra with Ford power still not much better than a Daytona coupe?  (They needed 200 mph plus to beat the Ferraris) Or was it regarded too fragile to carry a coupe body? Seems like they could have gotten ahead faster by funding that car rather than the Lola-inspired one. Maybe it could be reduced to politics--Ford wanted a car engineered at Ford Dearborn and didn't want to run a race car first put together by hot-rodders from a mail order  chassis?  Incidentally lots of good pictures of a King Cobra coming up for auction in Jan. at Kissimmee here:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0123-546329/1964-shelby-cooper-monaco-king-cobra/

[98SVT - was 06GT]

The King Cobras were fragile. Titus bought one from Shelby and just kept the drivetrain. The chassis was full of cracks and was hauled off to a land fill in the San Fernando Valley.
There are some rumors floating around that documents have surfaced recently of Ford's internal screw ups in the GT program which would have allowed Ford to win from day one - if they had listened to the racers. I know one of Chuck Becks pet peeves was having to cut up the GT40 to fit a giant heavy Motorcraft battery when the small aircraft gel cell worked just fine. Every division at Ford wanted their stamp of approval on a part of the car lest the Deuce think they weren't doing their job. They of course understood nothing of the rigors of racing vs making a beer run.

[67 GT350]

This is what happens to a car when someone puts a potato in tailpipes....Or when a human holds a fart in.

OK call me names....

[CSX 4133]

Two years ago I saw this very car sitting amongst dozens of older race cars in a warehouse. It was complete except for some minor fettling which was being done by Jeff Horne. The owner had no interest in racing it, so I suppose it was inevidible it would come up for sale. The Cooper Monaco's are still raced in England (Goodwood, etc) in vintage races.

I still get a smile seeing the Ford Cortina taillights on these cars as I raced a Lotus Cortina in 1966-67, wish I still had that car which is now back in England.

[HistoryBuff]

from the auction listing

Chassis no. CM/5/64
Originally built by John Cooper and race prepared by Carroll Shelby with engine transplant
Raced in-period by Bob Bondurant in 1964 and Roy Salvadori in 1965
Comprehensive 5-year ground-up restoration by Dave Handy and Jeff Horne completed in 2020
Restoration overseen by Chuck Brandt, SAAC Registrar for the Cooper cars
New, correct 1964 aluminum bodywork made on a custom Peter Brock made buck
Rollout and shakedown was done in June 2020 at Virginia International Raceway
In storage since the shakedown run
Date-coded 289 CI V-8 engine
Correct and rare Colotti 5-speed manual transmission

-------------------------------------------------------Now for theory: Is the reason Ford didn't go to Cooper and buy the Cooper-Monaco to develop as their endurance racer because  it would have looked like Ford went hat in hand to buy an idea already found by Chevy but in going for the Lola, only one of the three made was out there with a Chevy (bought by John Mecom, Texas millionaire) So going for Lola would look more like Ford was involved with the car from the get-go--particularly when it was introduced it had a Ford V8?