Cars

2 Previous Owners, First registered April 2017 (17 Reg) this fabulous Ford GT 40 Recreation has under 1,000 miles of use and is presented in the No. 9 livery of 1968 winners of Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi, racing for the J.W. Automotive Gulf-Oil Ford GT40 team. The JW Automotive production unit in Gulf Oil livery famously achieved two back-to-back Le Mans 24-Hour victories, leaving the Ford GTs Le Mans victory tally at four in all 1966/67/68/69. Optimised for road use this is a very well-engineered, useable, and most importantly, fun, interpretation on the famous Ford GT40. Fitted with a Small-Block Windsor 5.0 Litre Ford V8 engine, (the parts for this were provided by Ford racing specialists, Real Steel of Uxbridge, who also dated it for the IVA test) and Audi 5 Speed Manual Transaxle Gearbox. It provides the ultimate in road going thrills, whilst the bodywork by Southern GT ensures the drop-dead gorgeous looks of the original are maintained. The 15 Inch Wheels are by Torque Thrust with 195/55 tyres at the front and 255/60 at the rear, double wishbone suspension and disc brakes all round. There are number of well-engineered improvements featured on this example that include: the repositioning of the offset pedal-box - a major bugbear with the original cars. A sloping floor that allows the seats to be at a lower position in the cabin, (freeing up valuable headroom), the gearshift is positioned on the right-hand sill, and the petrol tank to the left-hand sill. Last, but not least the handbrake is a Mercedes-style foot actuated system. All of this was done with a view to making the car more comfortable and usable. The quilted leather bucket seats are perfectly supportive and comfortable. The steering wheel, gear lever, dashboard, and instruments all very purposeful and in keeping with the spirit of the vehicle. We understand that It was always the original aim to create a car for a spirited Sunday afternoon run-out, not a bare-bones, no-compromise race weapon. That said, the next owner could quite easily sharpen the cars track focus if so desired. It was featured in Complete Kit Car magazine back in 2020, a copy of which comes with the car, which explains much more than we can provide here. Having driven this car and can safely say that it turns heads like nothing else wherever it goes. We can also attest to the integrity of its engineering. Offered at a fraction of the cost of an original, and a really super tribute.