Powering the car is a 289 cubic-inch V8 coupled to a ZF five-speed manual transmission
An extraordinarily rare, original 1966 Ford GT40 MkI road car will cross the auction block next month and seems bound to sell for a staggering sum.
Ford famously built the original GT40 to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and it managed to do that in 1966, sweeping all three places on the podium and proceeding to win in 1967 and 1968 too. After the race car’s success, some 30 units were built for the road, each very similar from a mechanical standpoint to the race car but altered to make them a little more suitable for road use.
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This car being sold by Mecum Auctions was delivered new in Italy on November 14, 1966, and is finished in Metallic Dark Blue. It was ordered with a high-pressure oil pump, a custom race exhaust, and a road exhaust, as well as a spare wheel and tire. The car was later sold to Ferrari works driver Umberto Magioli before being sold to his friend Augusto Coli who owned it for almost 15 years.
Throughout the decades, the car has passed through the hands of many different owners and at one stage, received a concours-quality restoration thanks to RUF Automobiles, the company best known for creating wild Porsches. Adding to the car’s desirability is the fact that it has been driven just 13,442 miles (21,632 km) and has never been in an accident or damaged. It also retains the original 289 cubic-inch V8 with Weber carburetors and the standard ZF five-speed manual transmission.
The auction house has not provided an estimated sales price for the car but other 1966 GT40s have sold for more than $3 million in the past and if the right buyer is alerted to this auctio, it may sell for even more.