Only five prototypes of the open GT Roadsters were built by Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations in the United Kingdom in 1965. Of the units that were built, only four have survived. This particular Ford GT Works Prototype Roadster with chassis number “GT/111? was first tested at the 1965 Le Mans trials by John Whitmore before it was fielded as a Works entrant in the Targa Florio. Painted in Linden Green and with Whitmore joined by Bob Bondurant as co-driver, the car ran as high as a third-place until it was forced to prematurely retire due to racing-incident-induced damage.
The car disappeared from the public’s eyes for the next 40 years. The chassis was recently rediscovered in 2006 with its authenticity confirmed by the world’s leading authorities on GT40s. Following a restoration, chassis number “GT/111? reappeared on the race circuit in 2007 at the Goodwood Revival and has since gone on to race competitively at some of Europe’s most prestigious events.“The Ford GT represents one of the world’s most iconic sports car designs,” said Max Girardo, RM Europe’s managing director. “Joining power with beauty, it is the perfect fit for our debut sale at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. As one of just four surviving examples and one of only three to have been raced by the Works, it presents an extraordinarily rare ownership opportunity for discerning collectors, deserving of close inspection.”The Ford GT will join the six Bertone-designed concept cars that will be auctioned off in Italy.History of the Ford GT40
This Ford GT40 Roadster (GT108) was the first of the open cars completed in March of 1965. It was first delivered to Carroll Shelby shops and tested at Silverstone by John Whitmore and Dickie Atwood, and by Ken Miles at Riverside Raceway that year. The car was the official factory testbed for the ZF transaxle and resulted in all GT40s using the ZF from then on. From 1965 to 1992 the car was owned by George Sawyer, John Robertson and Tom Congleton. The car was restored for both Congleton and Robertson and successfully vintage raced through the 1980s and 90s. It is the only intact example that still carries the correct 1965-style nose, and the low tail section unique to roadsters. This car is also the only roadster , or ‘Spyder‘, to remain in as-built condition. The history of the Ford GT40 began as an attempt to beat a certain Italian Automobile Manufacturer at the grueling 24 Hours of LeMans race. Each June, some of the world’s best in the automotive industry descend onto a town West of Paris called LeMans, France to compete in a 24-Hour endurance competition. This tradition began in 1923 and since has become the pinnacle of automotive racing that challenges speed, performance, and durability. A select group of European marques had since dominated the race such as Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo.
Ford wanted to join this elite group. During the early part of 1960?s, Ford attempted to buy Ferrari for $18 million to run its international racing program. The purpose was to use the Ferrari company and technology to help Ford achieve a LeMans victory. The negations unraveled and Ferrari walked away from the bargaining table in May of 1963. Enzo Ferrari gave no indication as to why he had decided his company was no longer for sale. Ford decided to build their own super-car and beat Ferrari at International Racing. Roy Lunn was an Englishman who had begun his career at Ford of Britain and later came to the United States in 1958.
He had played a role in helping to create the 1962 mid-engined Ford Mustang I Concept. The vehicle was an aluminum-bodied, two-seater that was powered by a 1.7-liter 4-cylinder engine. After the Mustang I, Roy Lunn along with Ray Geddes and Donald Frey turned their attention to a racing program. The car that Ford had conceived was similar to a Lola GT, being low and mid-engined. The Lola was designed and built by Eric Broadley in Slough, England and first displayed in January of 1963 at the London Racing Car Show. Broadley was running low on funds and consequently more than eager to join with Ford. Borrowed from the Lola GT were the monocoque center section and aerodynamic design. It was longer, wider, and stronger with a rigid steel section. In the mid-section lay an all-aluminum 4.2-liter V8 engine. The gearbox was a 4-speed Colotti unit; the suspension was double-wishbone. Excellent stopping power was provided by the 11.5-inch disc brakes on all four wheels. In April 1964 the GT40 was displayed to the public at the New York Auto Show. Two weeks later the car was at Le Mans being put through pre-race testing. The result of a very rushed program became evident. The car suffered from aerodynamic and stability issues and as a result ended in two crashes.
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The GT represented ‘Grand Turismo‘ while the designation 40 represented its height, only 40 inches. The number 40 was added to the designation when the Mark II was introduced.The Mark II, still built in England, was put through extensive testing which solved many of the stability issues. Carroll Shelby was brought onboard to oversee the racing program. He began by installing a 7-liter NASCAR engine that was more powerful and more reliable. The result was a vehicle that was much more stable and quicker than the Mark I. For the 1965 LeMans, the Mark II proved to be a stronger contender but resulted in another unsuccessful campaign.The third generation of the GT-40, the Mark III, was introduced in 1966 and only seven were produced. Ford continued to fine-tune and prepare the GT-40 for LeMans. The GT40 led the race from the beginning. This lead continued throughout the evening and into the morning hours. During the morning the GT40?s were ordered to reduce their speed for purposes of reliability. By noon, ten out of the thirteen Fords entered had been eliminated. The remaining three Fords went on to capture first through third place. This victory marked the beginning of a four-year domination of the race.
In 1967 Ford introduced the Mark IV to LeMans. It was built all-American, where the previous versions had been criticized as being English-built and fueled by monetary resources from America. This had not been the first attempt for an all-American team using an American vehicle to attempt to capture victory at LeMans. Stutz had finished second in 1928. Chrysler had finished third and fourth during the same year, 1928. In 1950 the first major attempt to win at Lemans was undertaken by a wealthy American named Briggs Cunningham. Using modified Cadillac’s he captured 10th and 11th. His following attempts to win at LeMans included vehicles that he had built where he managed a third place finish in 1953 and fifth place in 1954. This had been the American legacy at LeMans.Of the seven vehicles Ford entered in 1967, three crashed during the night time hours. When the checkered flag dropped it was a GT40 driven by Gurney/Foyt to beat out the 2nd and 3rd place Ferrari by only four laps.For 1968 the FIA put a ceiling on engine displacement at 5 liters.
Ford had proven that Ferrari could be beaten and an American team and car could win at LeMans. Ford left international sports racing and sold the cars to John Wyer. Gulf Oil Co. provided sponsorship during the 1968 LeMans season. The Ford GT40 Mark I once again visited LeMans and again in 1969 where they emerged victorious both times. In 1969 the margin of victory for the GT40 was just two seconds after the 24 Hours of racing.In 1969 new FIA rules and regulations ultimately retired the GT40?s from racing and ended the winning streak.Around 126 Ford GT-40?s were producing during the production life span.
During this time a wide variety of engines were used to power the vehicle. The MKI used a 255 cubic-inch Indy 4-cam, a 289 and 302 small block. The 289 was by far the most popular, producing between 380 and 400 horsepower. When the MKI returned during the 1968 and 1969 season it was outfitted with a 351 cubic-inch Windsor engine. The MKII came equipped with a 427 cubic-inch NASCAR engine. The third generation, the MK-III, had 289 cubic-inch engines. The final version, the MK-IV all were given 427 cubic-inch power-plants.America, more specifically Ford, had proven that American automobiles and drivers were able to compete in all arenas.After the production of the Ford GT40 ceased, there were several companies interested in creating replicas. One such company was Safir Engineering which purchased the rights to the name. In 1985 the Ford GT40 MKV was introduced and examples would continued to be produced until 1999. Chassis numbers continued in sequence where the original Ford cars stopped. The cars were powered by a Ford 289 cubic-inch OHV engine that produced just over 300 horsepower and was able to carry the car to a top speed of 164. Zero-to-sixty took just 5.3 seconds. Disc brakes could be found on all four corners.
Source: RM Auctions
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