Super rare Ford GT40 Roadster race car up for auction

One of the featured cars at the Mecum Auctions Indy auction event in mid-May was a rare gem: a 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype .

This is one of 12 GT prototypes built by Ford between January 1964 and April 1965, and only five of these were Ford GT40 Roadster convertibles .

On top of that, it’s the only GT Roadster ever to compete in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, almost certainly cementing its place as one of the most valuable Fords in existence. This particular example, known as GT/109, was delivered to Shelby in March 1965 for final preparation before the big race.

Shelby's team made some significant upgrades in preparation for Le Mans, including a new coat of white paint combined with a dark blue paint job. This was one of five Ford GTs to race at Le Mans in 1965, powered by a Cobra-spec 289 cubic inch V8 and a ZF five-speed manual transmission.

French drivers Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier drove the car at Le Mans, but it was retired after the 11th lap when its gearbox failed. It was then sent back to Shelby American for a rebuild and a few years later was purchased by Californian tuner Dean Jeffries.

Mecum Auctions founder Dana Mecum bought the car from Jeffries’ son in 2013 and has rebuilt it again. Curiously, this is the third time Dana Mecum has tried to sell the car through his popular platform. In 2018, the car was listed at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction, but failed to sell.

In 2020, Mecum tried to sell it again, hoping to fetch between $7.5 million and $10 million. It seems like it failed on its second attempt as well. Will it succeed on its third attempt?

The only surviving Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype , GT/108, sold for $7.65 million at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction in 2019. Let's see if the GT/109 can fetch a similar figure, or even more.

Video: See the super rare Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/chiec-xe-dua-ford-gt40-roadster-sieu-hiem-duoc-mang-ra-dau-gia-post266048.html