21st Sep, 2011 15:00
Imperial War Museum Duxford
2005 Ford GT
Estimated at £145,000 - £165,000
Lot details
Registration No: LK05OSP
Chassis No: IFAFP90S55Y400808
Mot Expiry: T.B.A.
UK Supplied & less than 4,000 miles from new
The raison d'etre of Ford's legendry GT40 was simple - to win the incomparable Le Mans 24 Hour race - something in its various forms it did four times in succession (1966-1969 inclusive). And, while the company kept faith with the clause in the Prototype racing regulations that required entrants to offer series-production examples for sale, it was never in large numbers, and never through the Ford dealer network. Of the ones that were sold, only 39 were configured for street use. One could argue that Ford missed a sizeable trick by producing what many regard as the world's first 'supercar' (Gandini admitted that the layout of the GT40 influenced the design of his immortal Miura) but never seriously marketing and selling it as such. Lamborghini, with a fraction of Ford's promotional resource sold over 750 Miuras. So, bearing in mind the healthy demand for replica GT40s that exists to this day, one can only imagine what volumes of the original car Ford could have sold had they wished. Perhaps the best clue is offered by the latterday Ford GT, the company's own stunning GT40 reincarnation, of which some 4,038 were manufactured - a sizeable quantity, be it a little shy of the intended 4500. The UK asking price was £130,000 and allocation was a mere 28 cars, so you had to be somebody pretty special to be on the distribution list. The company that handled the homologation and launch of all the European specification Ford GTs was the UK outlet for Roush Industries, Revolve Technologies Ltd; they are also the sole UK service agent for these cars.
The idea of a follow-up to the GT40 was far from new and a number of designs had been mooted over the years. It was, however, Ford's impending centennial year, 2003, that finally focused the minds of the Dearborn suits. They were keen to remind the world of the company's heritage. The first outward result was the 'New Edge' styled GT90 concept car of 1994. 'New Edge' it may have been, but the lineage was there for all to see and some felt they should have gone the whole hog and called it the GT46 (it was 46 inches high as opposed to the 40 of the original car). Further innovative designs were considered internally until, much to the thrill of GT40 enthusiasts the world over, Ford decided to create a contemporary, road-going reincarnation of the original car - the response to the 2002 Detroit Show car was euphoric.
Only by placing the old and new car side by side is it apparent how cleverly Camilo Pardo took the layout and design cues of the GT40 and built them into a very different, much larger car - the newcomer was just under 4.0 inches higher, 6.9 inches wider and a full 19.8 inches longer. It comprised an aluminium spaceframe clad in aluminium panels and was powered by an all-alloy 550bhp, 5.4-litre DOHC V8 topped by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. The unit was mated to a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission. Race style independent suspension was employed all round, steering was by rack and pinion and braking by Brembo cross-drilled and vented discs front and rear.
Why were the production cars dubbed Ford GTs rather than Ford GT40s? Ford had failed to protect the rights to the GT40 name, which had passed to a company called Safir GT40 Spares, and while they had licensed the use of the trademark for the 2002 show car, the two companies failed to agree a deal for its extension to the production car. Hence the moniker of Ford GT which, bringing the story full circle, had been the name by which the original car was first known!
Ford GT registration 'LK05 OSP' provides a rare opportunity for the many lovers of these fine cars. Finished in Red with White stripes and a Black leather interior, this one registered keeper supercar is presented in excellent condition and warranted to have covered under 4,000 miles from new. One of the original 28 UK specification cars, its service schedule has been adhered to and the body and paintwork are virtually "as new".
Registration No: LK05OSP
Chassis No: IFAFP90S55Y400808
Mot Expiry: T.B.A.
UK Supplied & less than 4,000 miles from new
The raison d'etre of Ford's legendry GT40 was simple - to win the incomparable Le Mans 24 Hour race - something in its various forms it did four times in succession (1966-1969 inclusive). And, while the company kept faith with the clause in the Prototype racing regulations that required entrants to offer series-production examples for sale, it was never in large numbers, and never through the Ford dealer network. Of the ones that were sold, only 39 were configured for street use. One could argue that Ford missed a sizeable trick by producing what many regard as the world's first 'supercar' (Gandini admitted that the layout of the GT40 influenced the design of his immortal Miura) but never seriously marketing and selling it as such. Lamborghini, with a fraction of Ford's promotional resource sold over 750 Miuras. So, bearing in mind the healthy demand for replica GT40s that exists to this day, one can only imagine what volumes of the original car Ford could have sold had they wished. Perhaps the best clue is offered by the latterday Ford GT, the company's own stunning GT40 reincarnation, of which some 4,038 were manufactured - a sizeable quantity, be it a little shy of the intended 4500. The UK asking price was £130,000 and allocation was a mere 28 cars, so you had to be somebody pretty special to be on the distribution list. The company that handled the homologation and launch of all the European specification Ford GTs was the UK outlet for Roush Industries, Revolve Technologies Ltd; they are also the sole UK service agent for these cars.
The idea of a follow-up to the GT40 was far from new and a number of designs had been mooted over the years. It was, however, Ford's impending centennial year, 2003, that finally focused the minds of the Dearborn suits. They were keen to remind the world of the company's heritage. The first outward result was the 'New Edge' styled GT90 concept car of 1994. 'New Edge' it may have been, but the lineage was there for all to see and some felt they should have gone the whole hog and called it the GT46 (it was 46 inches high as opposed to the 40 of the original car). Further innovative designs were considered internally until, much to the thrill of GT40 enthusiasts the world over, Ford decided to create a contemporary, road-going reincarnation of the original car - the response to the 2002 Detroit Show car was euphoric.
Only by placing the old and new car side by side is it apparent how cleverly Camilo Pardo took the layout and design cues of the GT40 and built them into a very different, much larger car - the newcomer was just under 4.0 inches higher, 6.9 inches wider and a full 19.8 inches longer. It comprised an aluminium spaceframe clad in aluminium panels and was powered by an all-alloy 550bhp, 5.4-litre DOHC V8 topped by an Eaton screw-type supercharger. The unit was mated to a Ricardo six-speed manual transmission. Race style independent suspension was employed all round, steering was by rack and pinion and braking by Brembo cross-drilled and vented discs front and rear.
Why were the production cars dubbed Ford GTs rather than Ford GT40s? Ford had failed to protect the rights to the GT40 name, which had passed to a company called Safir GT40 Spares, and while they had licensed the use of the trademark for the 2002 show car, the two companies failed to agree a deal for its extension to the production car. Hence the moniker of Ford GT which, bringing the story full circle, had been the name by which the original car was first known!
Ford GT registration 'LK05 OSP' provides a rare opportunity for the many lovers of these fine cars. Finished in Red with White stripes and a Black leather interior, this one registered keeper supercar is presented in excellent condition and warranted to have covered under 4,000 miles from new. One of the original 28 UK specification cars, its service schedule has been adhered to and the body and paintwork are virtually "as new".
Auction: Imperial War Museum Duxford, 21st Sep, 2011
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