1966 Ford GT40 MK1
Named for its height (approximately 40 inches to the top of the windshield), the GT40 was conceived to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans, a goal achieved decisively in 1966 when three 427-powered Mk II race cars finished 1-2-3.
The Mk I road car was a parallel development: Ford Advanced Vehicles, based in Slough, England, needed at least 50 examples built to homologate the design for FIA Group 4 competition, and approximately 31 of the total production were completed in road specification at a list price of £7,253, making it the most expensive Ford offered to the public at the time.
Construction is a semi-monocoque steel tub clothed in fiberglass panels, with clamshell front and rear bodywork that opens fully to access the mechanicals.
The road-going GT40 Mk I typically used a mid-mounted 289 ci Ford V8 producing approximately 306 horsepower in street tune (with competition versions rated significantly higher), channeled through a ZF five-speed gearbox.
At roughly 40 inches tall and weighing about 2,200 pounds, the car was capable of approximately 160 mph in competition form.
The road cars were delivered essentially as street-legal racers, and many have since been converted to competition specification, making well-documented, matching-numbers road examples among the most significant GT40s in existence.
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