A rare 1966 Ford GT40 Mk 1 road car is set to go under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction in Florida in the US on January 18.
One of only 31 street-legal Mk 1 models produced — the GT40, boasting a 7l engine, was designed for endurance races such as Le Mans — chassis P/1034 was built in the UK in 1965 and delivered by Ford ambassador Jackie Stewart to its new owner, James Fielding, on March 17 1966.
According to Mecum, Fielding was chair of Heenan & Froude, the company that made the of dynamometers used by Shelby for testing the GT40.
In 1971 Fielding swapped the pine green coupé for a Rolls-Royce owned by his neighbour, Paul Weldon. Weldon raced the car in the early 1970s at Brands Hatch and Silverstone.
In 1975 chassis P/1034 was taken to Australia where it was repainted and raced throughout the 1980s and early 1990s at events including the Adelaide Grand Prix Support Historic Race and Copperstate 1000.
After a brief stint in Europe from 1995 to 1999, where then-owner Peter Rössler used it to win the 1999 Stuttgart Grand Prix, the vehicle returned to Australia where new custodian David Bowden used it in historic races and took part in Ford Australia’s 75th anniversary celebration.
In 2001 it was repainted pine green (with silver racing stripes) and in 2012 it was sold and taken to California. The car subsequently returned to Europe and was acquired by the current owner from DK Engineering in 2021.
Eligible for historic race meetings including the Goodwood Revival and Le Mans Classic, Mecum said chassis P/1034 retains many original components including its body panels, which had travelled with the car as spares but were refitted in 2019, as well as its original monocoque chassis and transmission.
As per original specification, power is provided by a Ford 289 CI HiPo V8 built by Mathwall Engineering. Breathing through four Weber 48IDA carburettors, the unit is dyno-tested at 250kW. This is delivered to the rear wheels via a five-speed ZF 5DS-25 transmission. Listed as lot S214, the sought-after vehicle is expected to fetch bids well into millions of dollars.
Never mind the fuel bill, feel the speed and beauty of the Ford GT40
Image: Mecum
A rare 1966 Ford GT40 Mk 1 road car is set to go under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction in Florida in the US on January 18.
One of only 31 street-legal Mk 1 models produced — the GT40, boasting a 7l engine, was designed for endurance races such as Le Mans — chassis P/1034 was built in the UK in 1965 and delivered by Ford ambassador Jackie Stewart to its new owner, James Fielding, on March 17 1966.
According to Mecum, Fielding was chair of Heenan & Froude, the company that made the of dynamometers used by Shelby for testing the GT40.
In 1971 Fielding swapped the pine green coupé for a Rolls-Royce owned by his neighbour, Paul Weldon. Weldon raced the car in the early 1970s at Brands Hatch and Silverstone.
In 1975 chassis P/1034 was taken to Australia where it was repainted and raced throughout the 1980s and early 1990s at events including the Adelaide Grand Prix Support Historic Race and Copperstate 1000.
After a brief stint in Europe from 1995 to 1999, where then-owner Peter Rössler used it to win the 1999 Stuttgart Grand Prix, the vehicle returned to Australia where new custodian David Bowden used it in historic races and took part in Ford Australia’s 75th anniversary celebration.
In 2001 it was repainted pine green (with silver racing stripes) and in 2012 it was sold and taken to California. The car subsequently returned to Europe and was acquired by the current owner from DK Engineering in 2021.
Eligible for historic race meetings including the Goodwood Revival and Le Mans Classic, Mecum said chassis P/1034 retains many original components including its body panels, which had travelled with the car as spares but were refitted in 2019, as well as its original monocoque chassis and transmission.
As per original specification, power is provided by a Ford 289 CI HiPo V8 built by Mathwall Engineering. Breathing through four Weber 48IDA carburettors, the unit is dyno-tested at 250kW. This is delivered to the rear wheels via a five-speed ZF 5DS-25 transmission. Listed as lot S214, the sought-after vehicle is expected to fetch bids well into millions of dollars.
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