- A 1966 Ford GT40 Mk I bearing chassis no. P/1034 is coming up for sale
- The car will go under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction in mid-January
- The car is one of 31 road-going Mk Is built and is reputed to be the first in private hands
If you’re within driving distance of Kissimmee, Florida, mark your calendar for mid-January when Mecum’s collector car auction takes place.
Why? Because an original 1966 Ford GT40 Mk I—one of only 31 road-going examples ever built—will be up for grabs and is likely to fetch bids in the millions.
According to the listing, the car, which bears chassis number P/1034, was completed by Ford Advanced Vehicles, the U.K. company that designed and built the first GT40s, in late 1965 and delivered to its owner the following March. The car is believed to be the first GT40 road car delivered to a private owner.
The first owner was James Fielding, chairman of Heenan & Froude, the company that manufactured the dynamometers used by Shelby American for testing GT40s. He reportedly sold the car in 1971 to his neighbor Paul Weldon in exchange for a Rolls-Royce. Weldon went on to race the car in several amateur events at tracks like Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk I bearing chassis no. P/1034 – Photo via Mecum
Like most Mk I GT40s, the car is powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 with Weber carburetors, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. While the transmission is original, the engine was built by U.K. engineering specialists Mathwall Engineering and dyno tested to confirm a 335-hp output. As a bonus, the car comes with an additional 1966-dated engine that has accompanied it since completion. Also included in the sale is a report from renowned GT40 historian Ronnie Spain.
Any original GT40 is rare, with approximately 105 examples built across Mk I to Mk IV versions. The improved Mk II was the version that secured Ford its first Le Mans win in 1966, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, while the redesigned Mk IV repeated the feat the following year. The Mk III was a very limited road-going version, with just seven built.
1966 Ford GT40 Mk I bearing chassis no. P/1034 – Photo via Mecum
The car is listed as Lot S214 for Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, which runs from Jan. 7-19.
The GT40 isn’t the only Le Mans icon set for Mecum’s auction. Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917, used during the filming of the 1971 cult classic movie “Le Mans,” will also cross the block. Several 917s appear in the movie, but chassis 022 is the car purchased from Porsche by McQueen’s Solar Productions and the one he drove most frequently on camera.