(Editor’s note: The Ford GT40 is one of this author’s absolute favorite cars, contemporary or historical, street-legal or no. Could he recuse himself from writing the story that follows due to the obvious conflict of interest, he would. Since he is unable to, all expressions of opinion rather than fact have been highlighted with bold print for easier dismissal.)
American firm Superformance has just pulled the wraps off of a new, limited-run 50th anniversary Ford GT40 Mk. II recreation, reviving what is single-handedly the sexiest and most awesomest racing car of all time. The replica aims to be as faithful as possible to the original Ford GT40 Mk. II, which earned Ford a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
As such, the replica features a monocoque and unibody identical to that of the actual 1966 Ford GT40 Mk. II, according to Automobile, with 90 percent of its parts interchangeable with that car. That’s just as well; we certainly wouldn’t change anything on the original Ford GT40 Mk. II as it is absolutely perfect in every single way. Some modern components have made their way into the replica, such as Wilwood brakes, shocks made by Bilstein, an air-conditioning system, and an adjustable pedal box to accommodate a range of different driver positions.
In an apt homage to its racing heritage, the Ford GT40 Mk. II recreation will be available in three different appearance editions named after relevant racing drivers: Bruce McLaren (black with silver stripes), Ken Miles (blue with white stripes), and Dan Gurney (red with white stripes). Each example will be added to the official Shelby registry.
For powerplants, Superformance recommends Shelby’s 427-cubic-inch aluminum-block V8 – the same displacement and configuration as the unit utilized in the original Ford GT40 Mk. II. The recreation will make its official debut at this weekend’s Barrett-Jackson classic car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a planned run of just 20 units. Pricing is still unknown, but you should definitely plan on taking out another mortgage if needbe because it’s clearly worth more than any monetary figure conceivable by man’s finite imagination.
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