The Garage Blog

The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage

  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • A word about guest posts

Historic Canadian 1966 Ford GT40 sells for $4.4 Million

August 21, 2016 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

GG_gt40 (21 of 23)

 

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to spend some time with a special car that had just been restored by our friends at Legendary Motorcar, a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk1 road car.

Not just any GT40 (as if there were such a thing), chassis number P/1028 has a unique Canadian history. The first road car delivered to North America, P/1028 did a short stint as a test car in Michigan before being put into service as a PR vehicle. You know, the vehicles that are sent out to auto journalists to flog. It also found its way onto the pages of Mechanix Illustrated and Playboy.


The car was sent north, to the care of Comstock Racing Team Manager Paul Cooke, where it was to be used to build buzz for the team’s P/1037.  Cooke, who was on hand when the freshly restored car was unveiled at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, says that P/1038 lived in his Toronto garage during that time. It was his job to ensure that the car was visible at events all over, so Cooke drove it to media events, restaurants and the like during the week. Come race weekends, Cooke and the GT40 would arrive at host tracks a few days early in order for the local press to have a go at the exotic machine.

GG_gt40 (19 of 23)

Shelby specialist Peter Klutt, owner of Canadian restoration house Legendary Motorcar, says that he actually wasn’t aware of the P/1028’s Canadian connection when the car was acquired. It wasn’t until the restoration began that the early history became apparent.

Not only was P/1038 the first North American road car, but it was the only one to be fitted with a full host of creature comforts like air conditioning and leather trim, making it truly a one of a kind car.

When the time came to send the car back to Ford, Cooke requested first right of refusal should the car ever go up for sale. That time came later, when Cook says he was deeply involved with a team that was racing McLaren cars in the Can-Am series. The asking price was around $2,500 at the time, which Cooke felt was a bit too steep to justify the purchase, so he let it go.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last night at the Mecum Auction in Monterey, P/1028 sold for a whopping $4.4 Million.

Talk about the one that got away!

 

 

Mecum Auctions lot description

GT40 no. P/1028

  • First road car delivered to North America
  • Ford test and evaluation car
  • Ford North America Public Relations car
  • Early development road specification GT40
  • Same family owned for nearly 40 years
  • The only GT40 road car delivered new with air conditioning, leather trim, luggage boxes, undersealed chassis and painted with a special finish
  • 11,000 original miles
  • 289 CI V-8 engine
  • 5-speed manual transmission
  • Among the most significant of the road going GT40s
  • Comprehensive four year restoration finished in 2016
  • Correct NOS parts
  • Documented by GT40 historian Ronnie Spain

Built at the Ford Advanced Vehicles factory in Slough, Buckinghamshire, England, P/1028 was the first road car delivered to North America. When P/1028 landed at the Ford Division headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, it was briefly used as a test and evaluation car on Ford’s test track. Shortly after, it served as Ford North America’s official Promotional GT40.

In many ways, these early road cars were production racing coupes slightly converted for the street, but they still carried many of their competition features, including only driver-side seat support, two fuel pressure gauges, battery-mount brackets in passenger foot well, lighter fiberglass, etc. At the same time, they developed P/1028 to be as comfortable and luxurious as possible to show the U.S. market, and it is the only GT40 outfitted this way. Fully optioned and fitted with leather upholstery and trim, padded dash, air conditioning, centered rearview mirror, heated windscreen and luggage boxes. In addition, the build sheet noted “undersealed chassis” and a “High Performance” 289 with a single Holley 4-barrel carburetor and Sunbeam Tiger air cleaner and rated at a healthy 335 HP. Using the same ZF 5-speed gearbox as the race GT40s, the road cars employed special exhaust silencers, softer brake pads and shock absorbers that were 25-percent softer than the race units. Making these road cars much more suitable for the street, still, the road coupes were capable of astounding performance, very similar to the production racing coupes.

Before P/1028 left Ford to go on its promotional tour, a series of photos were taken at Ford’s styling studio dated 3/9/1966 showing just more than 1,000 miles on the odometer. The first stop on the promotional tour was to the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida. It was paraded around the event all weekend and was parked in the pit lane prior to the race, for spectators to get a closer look. After Sebring, the GT40 traveled through the United States to dealerships, car shows and exhibits. In the July edition of “Playboy” magazine, P/1028 appeared in a four-page spread discussing the car. Its next magazine appearance was in “Mechanix Illustrated,” September 1966, where Tom McCahill tested the GT40 at Ford’s test track in Dearborn.

After six months of traveling around the United States, P/1028 was sent to Comstock Racing in Toronto, Canada to continue its promotional outings in Canada. Comstock Racing was Canada’s most successful racing team and had a great relationship with Ford and Shelby. On one occasion, Ken Miles was loaned to Comstock to race the group’s 289 Cobra at Mosport. P/1028 followed around Comstock’s Racing Coupe P/1037, and the rest of the Comstock racing team for the remainder of the 1966 season, traveling to tracks like St. Jovite, Mosport, Westwood, Watkins Glen and more. There is film of Eppie Wietzes driving P/1028 around St. Jovite during the Can-Am weekend, where it was used as the pace car.

After the 1966 season ended in Canada, P/1028 was shipped to Kar-Kraft, painted blue and was used as a Ford VIP car for Ford Executive Fran Hernandez. Sometime in 1967, P/1028 was finally sold to its first owner David Tallaksen a former 12 Hours of Sebring class winner. By 1969, the GT40 made its way to Monterey Historics founder Steve Earle and was featured in “Sports Car Graphic” magazine. After spending time with another California owner, P/1028 was purchased by the Schroeder family of Burbank in 1975. During their stewardship, the car was relatively frequently shared with the public. It was repainted in the famous Blue-and-Orange Gulf livery for a Gulf television ad in 1981 and was then displayed at the Justice Brothers Racing Car Museum in Duarte, California. It was exhibited at the 2003 Monterey Historic Races marking Ford’s Centennial.

After nearly 40 years of ownership, P/1028 was sold and a complete ground-up restoration was started. After completely disassembling the car, everyone was happy to find an extremely original car, the way an approximate 11,000 original mile car with an undersealed chassis should be. The original metallichrome silver paint was found under the Gulf, and dark blue layers of paint, almost all of the hard-to-find original pieces that came off the car for the Gulf commercial came with the car in boxes, and as Ronnie Spain states, “it is impossible to get a cleaner bill of health than this as far as originality of a GT40 chassis is concerned.” With the help of Ronnie Spain, Mark Allen, Jay Cushman and Graham Endeacott, Legendary Motorcar was able to finish P/1028 to an extremely high level of detail, sourcing as many original parts, pieces and material as possible. Today, P/1028 looks the exact same way it rolled down to the pits in Sebring 50 years ago. Between the historical significance, originality and quality of restoration, P/1028 is certainly one of the most important road-going GT40s in existence, and it is publicly for sale for the first time in its life.

 

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailThe legend of the buried GT-40 Default ThumbnailImages from the 1965 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Default ThumbnailA Legendary cruise with the Durham Region Classic Mustang Club VARAC Celebrates the MG community Wheels up in 5!

Automotive Legend Carroll Shelby Passes at 89

May 13, 2012 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

By now you may have heard that the great Carroll Shelby, one time race car driver and constructor has passed away at the age of 89 on Friday, May 10, 2012. The automotive world has truly lost one of the greats who lead a full life and accomplished feats few men can imagine. On the news of Mr. Shelby’s passing, my thoughts were he may be the last man to have such a singular impact on racing history and the cars that bear his name. My next thoughts brought me back to August, 1988. I was all of 15 years old at the time, while on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts had read that Enzo Ferrari had died. An ocean and generation apart, Mr. Ferrari and Mr. Shelby had some similarities, but for now let’s talk about Mr. Carroll Shelby.

My fear is the current generation of gearheads are watching too much Barrett-Jackson auto auctions on Speed TV, where over the past few years Mr. Shelby has gone on stage to auction off one of his latest Mustang-based creations to charity, and there is no doubt the hundreds of thousands of dollars Shelby has raised has helped many people. Where my discontent lies is in the portrayal of Carroll Shelby, often depicted as a simple chicken farmer from Texas, and oh, he makes chili too! How cute.

Kids, that is not the Carroll Shelby that impresses me. In the 1950’s, Shelby won races in an MG TD, set 16 US and International speed records in a specially modified Austin-Healey 100S. In 1959 he drove the winning Aston Martin DBR1 to victory at the 24 Hours of LeMans-one one of only two victories Aston Martin can claim. Shelby also competed in Formula 1 racing from 1958-59. Due to heart problems that plagued Shelby from youth, he was forced into retirement.

This is where the magic happens-as if winning LeMans is not enough. Shelby was able to seal a deal with British sports car maker AC to drop a Ford V-8 into their AC Ace, creating the AC Cobra, pictured at top. Spawning the ultra-rare and desirable Daytona Coupe, the Cobra is one of the most desirable and iconic exotic sports cars of all time, and the most copied car ever built by kit car companies, although Shelby and his lawyers spent years fighting this.

It is well known that Ford had attempted to buy Ferrari in the 1960’s, and with the deal nearly sealed, Enzo Ferrari backed out at the last minute. With the deal off, Ford vowed revenge on Ferrari, and Ford was going to beat them on their own turf. Ford called Carroll Shelby for help. The result? The Ford GT40 won LeMans four years in a row. It is the only American built race car to ever win at the historical Circuit de la Sarthe.

With Ford’s connection to Shelby cemented with its AC chassis and involvement in Ford’s domination over Ferrari with the GT40, Ford sought to build on the equity of its new pony car, the Mustang. While there are rumors that Shelby’s initial reaction was of zero interest in modifying Mustangs and refused the project, under pressure from Ford management Shelby gave in and agreed to put his name on the Shelby Mustang GT350, the purist example of a Shelby Mustang. Later iterations of Shelby ‘Stangs seemed counter to Carroll’s original vision, and by 1970 Ford and Shelby parted ways.

Carroll Shelby slipped into obscurity it seems, until the very man who demanded a Shelby Mustang-Lee Iaocca, called on him to inject some badly needed adrenaline to the ailing Chrysler Corporation. At its inception the Omni was a crude answer to VW’s Golf, but with Shelby’s hand Dodge created a GTI killer with 175hp on tap for an impressive 0-60mph time of 6.5 seconds with a top end of 130mph. Shelby had a hand in several other high performance Dodge products, and was an integral part of the creating the Dodge Viper.

Shelby’s history with Ford resumed again with his input in the modern iteration of the Ford GT, an homage to the GT40 and Shelby Mustangs once again hit the showroom floor in 2005. Fittingly, Carroll Shelby’s last car with his own input was the Shelby 1000, the most powerful Shelby to ever hit the street or track. And so we draw the circle back to Enzo Ferrari, the man Shelby beat on relentlessly at the most prestigious stage of endurance racing. When Enzo Ferrari died, the twin-turbo V-8 Ferrari F40 was the last car he oversaw was ready for market, the most powerful, fastest, and expensive Ferrari of all time. For Carroll Shelby, the Shelby 1000 holds that same distinction.

This puts Mr. Shelby in some elite company, and proves again if the will is there, Americans can beat the best the European exotics have to offer. Carroll Shelby deserves to be remembered as more than a chicken farmer, he is the singular American figure to absolutely punish the best Europe had to offer on their own soil. For that, we thank you, Carroll Shelby.

The Garage offers our sincere condolences to the Shelby family and all of his friends and co-workers.

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailSRT Premiers 2013 Viper Default Thumbnail2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR: The King of the Road Returns Default ThumbnailFord shows FR500S race car at Sema Default ThumbnailShelby gallery at Toronto Autoshow Default Thumbnail2012 NAIAS Part I: The Bloggers Descend Upon Dearborn

Las Vegas Motor Speedway might just be heaven on earth

March 30, 2012 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

When Bridgestone invited us to a new product launch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I was somewhat wistful as I thought about the passing of Dan Wheldon at the speedway at the final race of last year’s Indycar season. I knew it would be tough to visit the track without thinking of the popular driver. Still, I had never been to the Speedway (or Vegas for that matter) so I was excited to visit. All I can say is WOW!

Ferrari. Lamborghini. Andretti. Race cars. Fighter planes. Race tracks.

All in one place! LVMS is the kind of place that gearheads dream of.

Arriving on a shuttle, the first building one notices in a long strand of racing businesses is Shelby’s headquarters. As we drover further into the complex, I was blown away by the sheer size of the place. The only big speedway I have been to is Pocono, and LVMS is easily 3 times the size. There are race tracks all over the place. We saw 2 road courses, the big oval, a bullring, an off road truck course and there is the NHRA drag strip. Just massive.

Throughout the day, the background was filled with the sounds of the U.S. Airforce, as pilots performed training maneuvers. The day before, guests were treated to a real show as the Thunderbirds did some practice.

When a Shelby Cobra went by on a test drive, you knew it was the real deal.

To guide their tire industry attendees and us media types through the day, Bridgestone had assembled a star studded cast of drivers. Our instructors in the early morning included Pierre Kleinubing, Peter Cunningham and Burt Frissell. Later on, the big surprise came as we learned that Mario Andretti was also on hand and would be joining us for lunch.

Before lunch though, we had to flog a BMW 3 Series around a fast autocross course, before heading over to Exotics Racing, where we would get to play with a collection of Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s. I drove a Lamborghini Gallardo LP550 for the first time. For a machine with 550 or so horsepower, it was surprisingly manageable. Equally surprising was how high the limits of the car are. With just five laps, I was nowhere close to exploring the limits of the car. It would be fun to have a bit more seat time to actually get comfortable with the limits of the bull.

To get a taste of our day, head past the jump to check out our photo gallery.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailHappy (Belated) Father’s Day from The Garage! Default ThumbnailAudi Displays the New Über Quattro in Toronto Default ThumbnailSome Legends Never Die, They Just Go Faster Default ThumbnailThe Garage visits 2008 Monterey Historics Default ThumbnailIMPA Test Days 2011 Wrap Up

The legend of the buried GT-40

September 7, 2010 by Gary Grant 14 Comments

The automotive world is full of legends and icons. Where is Detective Frank Bullitt’s Mustang? How come death follows James Dean’s Lil Bastard? Isn’t there a GT40 buried somewhere in Sebring? Like the other stories, the buried GT-40 legend was born out of an energy filled time. Unfortunately it was also conceived of a tragic death, much like Lil Bastard.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default Thumbnail1964 12 Hours of Sebring caught on home video Default ThumbnailComstock and the Shelby connection Default ThumbnailShelby related quote of the day Default ThumbnailShelby gallery at Toronto Autoshow Default ThumbnailThe beauty of Porsche at Sebring

Lucky nominated for 2 awards

July 12, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Long time readers will recall that contributors to The Garage Gary Faules and Jon Emerson competed in the 2007 La Carrera Panamerica in a Shelby GT350R named Lucky. That trip to Mexico was filmed for a documentary called Rebirth of a Legend which not only records the race but also the rich history of the event.

That video has been nominated for Best Sports Documentary and a technical achievement award for Best Cinematography – Documentary at the Action On Film International Film Festival later this month.

The film can be purchased through Gary’s blog and is certain to become a favorite in the library of any gearhead!

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailIn car video of Lucky the GT350R attacking Mil Cumbres Default ThumbnailLucky goes for the podium Default ThumbnailLucky’s gettin’ his groove on in Mexico Default ThumbnailVideo trailer: La Carrera Panamericana, Rebirth of a Legend Default ThumbnailMy Plans To Get High While Racing

2011 Ford Mustang launch montage

May 29, 2010 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

When Ford launched the completely revamped 2010 Mustang, there were many who decried the carryover of the old drivetrain which was less of a performer than the 2010 Camaro. The product folks at Ford promised that more juice was coming for the 2011 model in the form of a new V-6 and the return of the 5.0 name.

That new V-6 puts out 305 horsepower, almost as much as the previous V-8, while the 5.0 puts out a whopping 412 ponies. That means the aluminum block twin-cam churns out close to twice as much horsepower as the original 5.0. Oh yes, it also creates a whopping 390 ft/lb of torque. If those numbers are impressive, then get ready for the 5.4 in the GT500. 550 horsepower. 510 ft/lb of twist. This thing should have a PTO it makes so much power!

After driving all of the new Mustangs back to back with a couple of Camaro’s on the track and the acceleration and braking strip, it is pretty clear that the folks at Chevy have some tuning to do as Ford has raised the bar.

We’ll go into more detail about the different variations in another post, but for now we’ve got a gallery of images from the launch. We’ve also got a short video montage of the action at Calabogie Motorsports Park.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default Thumbnail2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR: The King of the Road Returns Default ThumbnailFord Takes New York By Storm With A Trio Of Hot New Rides Default ThumbnailShelby & Ford to build 600HP Super Snake Default ThumbnailFord Launches Hi-Po F-150 Harley Davidson Default Thumbnail2011 Mustang GT sounds

Lucky goes for the podium

February 13, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

When we posted the first in car video of Gary Faules piloting Lucky at the 2007 La Carrera, a few readers had a hard time grasping the speed of the event. For this next video we’ve decided to skip right to the final day of competition, where Gary gives Lucky the GT350 all he’s got in an effort to ensure a podium finish. Even 150 MPH doesn’t look all that fast, but listen to the revs and realize that flat in 4th with 500 plus horsepower is mighty fast!

Very cool video after the break.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailIn car video of Lucky the GT350R attacking Mil Cumbres Default ThumbnailVideo: La Carrera 2007 Movie Trailer Default ThumbnailMy Plans To Get High While Racing Default ThumbnailLucky’s gettin’ his groove on in Mexico Default ThumbnailVideo: Lucky gets his groove on at La Carrera

Shelby gallery at Toronto Autoshow

February 12, 2010 by Gary Grant 3 Comments

As a kid, the thing I remember more than anything about going to the Toronto Autoshow was checking out all of the race cars that were inevitably on display. For more than a few years, cars of interest to a kid that is into racing have been sadly sparce. This year though, the Canadian International Autoshow has partnered with the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame to honor racing icon Carroll Shelby.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailCarroll Shelby’s Personal Cobra Sells For $5 Million Default Thumbnail2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR: The King of the Road Returns Default ThumbnailGallery: Woodward Dream Cruise Part 1 Default ThumbnailSome Legends Never Die, They Just Go Faster Default ThumbnailComstock and the Shelby connection

In car video of Lucky the GT350R attacking Mil Cumbres

February 8, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

The La Carrera Panamericana open road rally is a throwback to an earlier time. With real cars running on real roads, the La Carrera route follows pretty much the same path that crews took back in the Fifties. Over the years, La Carrera has also gained a reputation for being one of the most challenging events on the annual calendar. The term challenging is often politely interchanged for the word dangerous. The most challenging of all the La Carrera stages is considered to be the Mil Cumbres stage, where many cars have been lost. Lives too.

Regular contributer here in The Garage, Gary Faules, took on La Carrera in 2007 and took the win on the Mil Cumbres stage. Now that the documentary movie about Gary’s trip to LCP has been released, he is free to share the in car footage they shot during the race. The first video we’re going to share is that historic run up Mil Cumbres with it’s roadside cliffs and even a burro taking in the spectacle.

Following the 2007 running of the La Carrera, the decision was made to remove the stage from the event. The video after the break may well be the last competitive event held on the road.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailVideo: In Car at La Carrera with Team CBR Default ThumbnailVideo: La Carrera 2007 Movie Trailer Default ThumbnailVideo trailer: La Carrera Panamericana, Rebirth of a Legend Default ThumbnailMy Plans To Get High While Racing Default ThumbnailA rough day at La Carrera

Images from the 1965 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport

February 3, 2010 by Gary Grant 8 Comments

While searching for a photo to accompany Leighton’s story about the early days of race control, I came across this great set of black and whites from the Canadian Grand Prix on September 25, 1965. These shots, added to the CMSHG galleries by Rob North, are actually scanned from a contact sheet. I love the inclusion of the film as it really does make them look, well, old.

The photo above shows Bruce McLaren with just a nose ahead as the green flag flies. Not the clearest photo, but certainly a moment in history.

More photos after the break.
[Read more…]

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailComstock and the Shelby connection Default ThumbnailVintage Sports Cars: 1966 Players 200 at Mosport Default ThumbnailShutter Speed: Posters, dash plaques and a new mentor Default ThumbnailShelby related quote of the day
Next Page »

Advertisment

Find stuff

Recent Posts

  • New Canadian series promises international quality competition
  • INDYCAR Announces Paretta Autosport
  • Carvana Conundrum
  • Honda Loses Some Funk for 2021
  • Review: 2020 Toyota Camry Hybrid

NEW Feature: World’s Fastest Car Review

World’s Fastest Car Review: Volvo Drive Me

May 29, 2014 By Gary Grant 1 Comment

World’s Fastest Car Review: Enviro Dad and the VW Touareg TDI

May 26, 2014 By Gary Grant Leave a Comment

World’s Fastest Car Review: 2014 Mazda5

May 8, 2014 By Gary Grant 1 Comment

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in