As instructed, Ken Miles slowed to let McLaren catch up on the final lap, and for Hutcherson in his and Bucknum’s third Mk II.

As they approached the actual timing line, short of where the flag is thrown, Miles and McLaren seemed to be nearly side by side before Miles inexplicably checked up, allowing McLaren to surge ahead – then Miles pulled forward again.

It’s fair to say that, like the French P.A. announcer, most initially believed Miles had won. He’d led so much of the race and obviously slowed to let McLaren and Hutcherson catch up at the end, and when Hulme climbed aboard, their No. 1 car certainly looked the winner.

Though first back to the podium, the No. 1 car was stopped and officials waved the Amon/McLaren car ahead – as the P.A. announcer now proclaimed them the winners. And so it stood, with an almost uncomfortable McLaren and Amon and a joyous Henry Ford II on the podium, joined only later by Miles and Hulme.

[Carroll] Shelby was unequivocal.

“Ken Miles was way ahead of the race. He would have been the only man in history to win Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. He should have won it.”

Charlie Agapiou, too, remained adamant that his friend was robbed, and pulled no punches as to where the blame lay.

“He did exactly what he was told, and at the end, he slowed down on the back chute and all over the place to let McLaren unlap himself. He followed his orders and then he got f***ed. That’s what happened.”

It was a bitter irony that two months later Ken Miles, was killed testing a prototype of the ultimate designed-and-made-in-USA Ford racecar with which Briggs Cunningham’s dream of a totally American car driven to victory at Le Mans by American drivers would finally be realized.

Twice Around the Clock: The Yanks at Le Mans is currently available in the Motor Sport shop

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About the book

Taking in 26 years of research and interviews by historian and author Tim Considine, Twice Around the Clock: The Yanks at Le Mans is a three-volume set that tells the history of more than 320 American drivers and the US cars that have competed at Le Mans.

It covers the period from the first race in 1923 to the present day, telling of heroism, courage and cunning in the voices of the drivers, mechanics, owners and witnesses of the time.

The volumes uncover previously-unseen pictures among 900 images, as well as scores of untold stories, which add humanity – and a fair bit of profanity – to history. They include tales of a team-member sneaking in to cars to race stints for tired drivers; of after-dark and unauthorised adjustments to cars; and of drivers cheating eyesight tests so that they were able to race.

In addition to the narrative, the book includes statistical records for every American driver, car and engine that has competed at Le Mans.