Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] claimed victory at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTE Pro class.

This win comes 50 years after the Blue Oval pulled off a one-two-three finish at the iconic French race using its iconic GT40. To celebrate the win made by the modern GT, Ford lit up its headquarters as a signal to the world. The Ford GT has won Le Mans.

This too is a nod to the past, interestingly enough. Back in 1967, Ford flipped the switches on some well placed lights and turned its world headquarters into a boasting billboard. The message back in Dearborn read simply "Won Le Mans".

Ford headquarters lit up to celebrate 1967 Le Mans win

The updated message is a bit longer. It read "GT Wins At Le Mans". It's clear the person in charge of lighting direction is now paid by the letter. Either way, it's another great nod to Ford's current motorsports presence and it's history all in one shot.

Still, even with the GT taking the victory at Le Mans, the win was surprisingly overshadowed by other on track actions.

The 2016 Le Mans race is more likely to be remembered for the heartbreaking loss handed to the Toyota team. Their car was running incredibly strong all race until it succumbed to mechanical issues with just a few minutes remaining in the race. The leading Toyota car came to a stop and was then passed by a Porsche 919 Hybrid that when on to win overall.

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