Anyone within driving distance of Kissimmee, Florida, should head down in early January for the scheduled Mecum collector car auction.
Why? Because an original Ford GT40 will cross the block, a 1966 Mk I that’s one of just 31 road-going examples built.
According to its listing, the car has only 13,442 miles on the odometer, and has never been involved in a crash. The car also has some provenance as one of its owners was Italian racing driver Umberto Maglioli, a Porsche and Ferrari factory driver and winner at prestigious events like the 12 hours of Sebring and Targa Florio.
Mecum hasn’t mentioned the chassis number but claims the car comes with its original build sheet and a history dossier by noted GT40 expert Ronnie Spain. There’s also a detailed dossier of a previous restoration handled by Germany’s Ruf.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk I – Photo credit: Mecum
Like most Mk I GT40s, the car is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 that features Weber carburetors and is mated with a 5-speed manual transmission. The metallic blue car also features Borrani wire wheels and an interior lined in black leather.
The car is lot number R799.2 for the auction which will run on Jan. 12. Fans of the modern GT supercar will be treated with the auction of a GT Mk II at the same Mecum sale, scheduled for Jan. 13.
Any original GT40 is rare, with approximately 105 cars built across Mk I to Mk IV versions. The improved Mk II is the version that netted Ford its first Le Mans win in 1966, with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon driving, while the redesigned Mk IV repeated the feat the following year. The Mk III was a very-limited roadgoing version, of which just seven were built.
With so few built, original GT40s rarely come up for sale. However, another roadgoing Mk 1, the car that served as the official GT40 press car, came up for private sale only in October, though its listing is no longer available, suggesting it found a buyer.
