This 1966 Ford GT40 Mk I Was Just Sold for $10 Million
While the late, modern-day Ford GT is an exceptional sports car that sells for huge prices at live auctions and online, any car collector out there will tell you the original GT40 is one of the most sought-after pieces on the planet.
The latest example comes from Mecum Auctions, which sold a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk I for $7.04 million USD at its Kissimmee, Florida auction this past Saturday. Using the current exchange rate, that’s a whopping $10.1 million CAD.
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This particular unit is one of just 31 GT40 MK 1 road cars (slightly modified from the race version) that came out of the factory, as well as the first that was delivered to a private owner—by none other than racing legend Jackie Stewart—in March 1966. After changing owners in 1971, it entered a number of racing events not only in England but also in Australia.
Someone had the car repainted in the Gulf colour scheme of the Le Mans-winning GT40 P/1075 in 1985. A decade later, it was brought to Germany and used in historic races including winning the Stuttgart Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring in 1999.
Two years after that, the GT40 was repainted in the original colour of Pine Green with added Silver stripes and remained a prominent part of the Bowden collection being used in magazine and TV appearances for their car care company until 2012 when it was sold and brought to California. It was also displayed at prestigious events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California.
Issued FIA Historic Vehicle Identity Form papers in 1997, the car still retains many original components including its original body panels plus its original tub and five-speed manual transmission—something very rare for a GT40.
By the way, the 4.7-litre HiPo V8 with four Weber 48IDA carburetors, built by Mathwall Engineering and shared with the first-gen Mustang, produces 335 horsepower as certified by dyno testing. The odometer says the car has logged 44,682 miles (71,908 km).
Don’t miss the photo gallery at the top of the page for more beauty shots of this $10-million GT40. And speaking of Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, remember the Union Jack-clad “Shaguar” from those Austin Powers movies? It was sold there for $880,000 USD ($1.26 million CAD). Yeah, baby!
