One Of Two Surviving Ford GT40 Roadsters Is Being Auctioned And We Want It

An exceptionally rare GT40 Roadster with racing history will go under the hammer this month, and it might break the GT40 auction record
One Of Two Surviving Ford GT40 Roadsters Is Being Auctioned And We Want It

The Ford GT40 is - famously - not a car that’s particularly friendly for tall people. The ‘40’ bit of the name refers to (pub fact time) the height of the car in inches, meaning even our own Alex Kersten would tower over one if standing next to it.

If your generous stature is getting in the way of your dreams of owning one, however, there is a solution. It’s just that you’ll need to be even more loaded than the average GT40 punter before proceeding. Presenting: the Ford GT40 Roadster.

One Of Two Surviving Ford GT40 Roadsters Is Being Auctioned And We Want It

If the existence of such a car is news to you, we’ll let that slide: only five were built, and the example you see here is one of only two survivors. Plus, it’s unique among those five: it has racing history.

Ford of France entered it into the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, fielding drivers Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier into battle for the celebrated endurance race. It didn’t go brilliantly, with the car being retired two hours in due to a gearbox issue, but that didn’t stop the short-lived run being significant: this Roaster remains the only open-top GT car to ever compete at Le Mans.

One Of Two Surviving Ford GT40 Roadsters Is Being Auctioned And We Want It

Dean Jeffries purchased the car from Ford in 1968, owning the car up until his passing in 2013. During that time, Jeffries dropped in a quad-cam Indy engine, before switching to a Shelby-built 289 cubic-inch (4.7-litre) V8 gifted by Carroll Shelby himself. The latter engine is fitted currently, but the Indy lump is included in the sale too.

Since 2013 it’s been owned by Dana Mecum and has been on the receiving end of an extensive three-year restoration. We’ve no doubt it’s every bit as lovely in the metal as it looks in these images.

One Of Two Surviving Ford GT40 Roadsters Is Being Auctioned And We Want It

It’ll go under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee, Florida sale, which runs from 3-13 January. No estimate has been given, but it’ll certainly go for many millions of dollars, potentially breaking the GT40 auction record in the process.

Comments

Destroya

There was a GT40 Roadster? How come I didn’t know sooner? This thing is amazing!

01/02/2019 - 11:33 |
76 | 0

there were 6 GT40 roadsters, 5 of these and a MK1 based development platform called X-1 roadster that was used to test various combinations of parts, which was destroyed as soon as testing ended

01/02/2019 - 11:45 |
26 | 0
Anonymous

clears throat One of two surviving GT Roadsters? Its One of two surviving gt40 roadsters

01/02/2019 - 11:43 |
8 | 0
Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

First day back after nearly two weeks doing little other than sitting around eating cheese. Do forgive me! (Corrected)

01/02/2019 - 11:56 |
4 | 0
RWB Dude

Imagine rolling up to prom in one of those lol

01/02/2019 - 11:58 |
4 | 0
Freddie Skeates

Saw one at Goodwood, must be the second one

01/02/2019 - 12:04 |
22 | 0

Possible replica?

01/02/2019 - 12:09 |
14 | 6
Anonymous

I wanna daily this

01/02/2019 - 12:36 |
2 | 2
Kenji (Oldsmobile Fan) (GoldWing Enthusiast) (wheel nut)

Imagine the sound that v8 makes 🤤

01/02/2019 - 13:13 |
4 | 0
Noah Hammerstad

Why the hell would you engine swap a classic like that?? Granted it is a Shelby engine but still… 1 of 2

01/02/2019 - 15:23 |
2 | 0

Because the original engines were… a bit sh*t.

01/03/2019 - 02:18 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

I am sure if You start a GoFundMe you could get enough. I mean, if a person can raise 20 mil for a placebo wall, then this is an easier more Noble cause.

01/02/2019 - 16:57 |
10 | 4
675LT_ftw

I think the GTX1 is cooler tho 😎😎

01/02/2019 - 19:05 |
4 | 6
Anonymous

AHUM Matt you made another mistake it says roaster

01/02/2019 - 21:56 |
0 | 0

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