For Sale: 1966 Ford GT40
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
This majestic 1966 Ford GT40 may have started its life in the marketing department, but it’s grown into a fiercely well-sorted historic race car, and one which we would very happily take racing. It’s heading to auction at RM Sotherby’s’ sale this August.
I, for one, am very glad that Henry Ford II wasn’t able to buy Ferrari back in the ’60s. We can speculate on the direction that the two marques would have taken if he had, but I’d be sad to give up some of the spectacular machines that that moment led to.
Like this 1966 Ford GT40, P/1061. It’s one of the 31 Mk. I variants purpose built for the road. Happily, those road going variants were only a stones throw from the mighty race cars of the era. Ford went to the trouble of fitting upholstery to their interiors, softened up the suspension a little, fitted more forgiving brakes and, sacrilegiously, installed a quieter exhaust. They didn’t take the softening up too much further, which means these road-going cars are still spectacular.
P/1061 was finished near the end of 1966 and went directly to Ford’s facilities in Michigan where it was consigned to their Car Merchandising department for marketing. Once there, it was given racing stripes and roundels with a race #5 and modified with Mk. II twin rear brake scoops. It was displayed in dealerships and at auto shows, and would find some track time in the form of demonstration laps at Sports Car Club of America events.
Once the car left Ford it went through several hands, even spending a chunk of the ’70s here in Australia. It eventually made its way to Aussie racer Bib Stillwell, a four-time winner of the Australian Drivers’ Championship.
Stillwell decided that it was time for this magnificent beast to get to work proper and sent it to John Horsman, former Gulf-Wyer chief engineer and team manager and one of the brains behind the GT40’s development, to prepare it for racing. P/1061 was rebuilt to a similar specification to that of the ’69 Gulf Racing GT40s and finished in the gorgeous dark green metallic and yellow stripe livery in which you see it today.
Rebuilt and ready for racing, Stillwell put it to work and kicked off a historic racing career that’s still going strong today. The car found one of its most prestigious wins at Watkins Glen when Don Roberts drove it to victory in the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s 1989 25th Anniversary Celebration of the GT40. Impressively, he passed Sir Stirling Moss in another GT40 along the way.
Jim Click bought the car in 1992 and has raced it continuously since then.
To further sort the car for racing, Click bored out the 302ci V8 to 351ci. The motor now puts out around 450 brake horsepower.
He also had the shocks, uprights and brake calipers rebuilt, gave it new brake and clutch master cylinders and replaced both fuel cells. It’s had the fuel lines and fuel pump replaced and generally been very well looked after and maintained for racing.
More recently it’s enjoyed an engine rebuild and an aesthetic refresh, with cracks in its fibreglass and bodywork repaired and a full repaint completed.
P/1061 may not have begun its life as a racer, but it’s definitely earned its racing stripe now. Well sorted and with an interesting history behind it, it’ll surely make a magnificent historic racer that will secure you entry into just about any historic motor racing event you can think of.
It’ll head to auction at RM Sotherby’s’ Monterey auction on Friday the 19th. Head to their website here for the full details.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
