Several years of failure eventually led to glory for Ford at Le Mans
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A unique piece of racing history will be going up for online auction in June – the last-ever Ford GT40 MkII chassis to be made.
Chassis P/1085, produced in 1969, was the 105th and final numbered GT40 to be built by coachbuilder Abbey Panels, and will now be sold as part of the ‘Geared Online’ auction, held by Gooding & Co.
Not only is the car notable for its place in a legendary racing lineage, it also has one of the more curious back-stories in motor sport history.
Once finished, 1085 was purchased as a spare by New York collector Gil Jackson and subsequently shipped to the States. The first GT40 he’d purchased was the ex-Alan Mann Racing chassis 1009.
However, the car was never used – or even taken out of its box.
Immediately put into storage, the GT40 sat in a crate with a full set of spares and components for 36 years.
When the pristine car was eventually purchased in 2009 by historic racer Jonathan Turner, he found rolled-up copies of Motoring News from 1969 inserted to protect the engine trumpets.
1085 first ran in April 2009 at Donington Park, and has since campaigned in historic racing events.
The car was been put into a John Wyer Automotive ‘Gulf’ specification, with Gurney Weslake V8, powder blue livery, and 10″ and 14″ wheels with vented disc brakes and four-pot calipers to bring it in line with the GT40s of 1968 and 1969.
Although auctioneers Gooding & Company havn’t put an estimate on the car, given its provenance it’s expected to fetch a large sum.
In 2018, the Ford GT40 MkII which finished third at the 1966 Le Mans sold for $9,750,000 (£6,920,000).
The Ford GT 40 Chassis P/1085 is part of the Gooding & Company’s ‘Geared Online June’ auction, which ends June 18 at 6pm BST. More information can be found here.
