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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: The Story Behind Ford GT40 Offered at Monterey Auction
The 1968 Gulf-liveried race car at the RM sale is one of four campaigned by JW Automotive and later used as a camera car for the McQueen movie ‘Le Mans.’
The Ford GT40 Mk 1 Gulf at the upcoming RM Auction in Monterey was used by JW Automotive during the 1968 and 1969 race seasons. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Next week, all eyes in the classic car world will be on the Monterey Peninsula for both the large number of world-class events and the various collector-cart auctions, where some spectacular machines are expected to change hands.
One of the most famous is a Ford GT40 Mk I Gulf, used by John Wyer's JW Automotive team during the 1968 and 1969 season with great success, which will be offered at RM Auctions’ sale Aug. 17-18 in Monterey.
The four cars built to this specification were actually based on the original small-block GT40 after a rule change had left the larger-engine variants illegal. Among the many successes scored by the Gulf-liveried machines were back-to-back outright wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The car offered by RM Auctions was the first of the four built, which took a win in the World Championship round at Brands Hatch. Chassis 1074 was later used as a camera car for the Steve McQueen movie Le Mans. It has since been restored to its 1968 specification.
No estimate is listed in the catalog, but we expect it to change hands for more than $5 million.
In addition to the auction car, we have added images and histories of the other three cars, including the double Le Mans winner, with a 24-shot gallery of these particularly attractive and successful GT40s.
At the end of the 1967, a drastic regulation change saw a whole generation of sports-prototype racers made obsolete. The new rules limited the engine size of pure prototypes to just 3 liters, while a 5-loiter sports-car class was added with a 50 example production limit.
Having just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years running with GT40 variants that were now illegal, this was a convenient moment for Ford to suspend its works program.
The changes did in fact favo r the original, small-block GT40, which due to the large number of cars built easily met the homologation requirements. Upon its withdrawal, Ford sold their British facility to former Ford Advanced Vehicles principle John Wyer. Under the JW Automotive banner, he continued to supply parts for existing cars, and thanks to the regulation revisions received orders for new GT40s.
More importantly, Wyer switched back to racing GT40s with his Gulf-backed team after successfully fielding Mirage M1s in 1967.
The Mirage M1 had not been a brand-new design but a further development of the original GT40 with a lighter chassis and a narrower roof. Where permitted, these modifications were also carried through on a batch of three new GT40s readied for the 1968 Sports Car World Championship.
In fact, two of these cars featured chassis previously used for two of three Mirages used in 1967. The new GT40s also used a stroked, 5-liter version of the small-block V8. This was good for around 425 horsepower, according to official figures.
One of the most famous is a Ford GT40 Mk I Gulf, used by John Wyer's JW Automotive team during the 1968 and 1969 season with great success, which will be offered at RM Auctions’ sale Aug. 17-18 in Monterey.
The four cars built to this specification were actually based on the original small-block GT40 after a rule change had left the larger-engine variants illegal. Among the many successes scored by the Gulf-liveried machines were back-to-back outright wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The car offered by RM Auctions was the first of the four built, which took a win in the World Championship round at Brands Hatch. Chassis 1074 was later used as a camera car for the Steve McQueen movie Le Mans. It has since been restored to its 1968 specification.
No estimate is listed in the catalog, but we expect it to change hands for more than $5 million.
In addition to the auction car, we have added images and histories of the other three cars, including the double Le Mans winner, with a 24-shot gallery of these particularly attractive and successful GT40s.
At the end of the 1967, a drastic regulation change saw a whole generation of sports-prototype racers made obsolete. The new rules limited the engine size of pure prototypes to just 3 liters, while a 5-loiter sports-car class was added with a 50 example production limit.
Having just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years running with GT40 variants that were now illegal, this was a convenient moment for Ford to suspend its works program.
The changes did in fact favo r the original, small-block GT40, which due to the large number of cars built easily met the homologation requirements. Upon its withdrawal, Ford sold their British facility to former Ford Advanced Vehicles principle John Wyer. Under the JW Automotive banner, he continued to supply parts for existing cars, and thanks to the regulation revisions received orders for new GT40s.
More importantly, Wyer switched back to racing GT40s with his Gulf-backed team after successfully fielding Mirage M1s in 1967.
The Mirage M1 had not been a brand-new design but a further development of the original GT40 with a lighter chassis and a narrower roof. Where permitted, these modifications were also carried through on a batch of three new GT40s readied for the 1968 Sports Car World Championship.
In fact, two of these cars featured chassis previously used for two of three Mirages used in 1967. The new GT40s also used a stroked, 5-liter version of the small-block V8. This was good for around 425 horsepower, according to official figures.
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