MK3 Replica: 1966 Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 will forever be one of the most significant cars ever made. From its road-going abilities to its competitive prestige, the GT40 has earned its place in the history files as one of the most significant cars ever built. That being said, it also remains out of reach for most of us in its original form. A replica is an accepted substitute given the rarity of the production version, and far cheaper to buy. This replica is believed to be a CAV GT40, which still exists today as Cape Advanced Vehicles. The kit car is listed here on eBay with bids to just $2,75o with no reserve.
The GT40 rides on a stretched Volkswagen Type 3 chassis, and I have to say – unless the camera is playing tricks on me – the proportions look surprisingly good. Oftentimes, when you see a kit car riding on a VW chassis, the body looks like it’s a few inches short of being accurate. Not here, as the long, low body seems like a fair copy of the original. In fact, the listing claims “….the body is to spec length, width, and height to the original GT40,” so perhaps we’re not seeing things. The body is obviously a long way from being finished and the listing mentions it needs some fiberglass repairs as well.
The seller notes that it has some expensive bits on it, like the authentic Boranni wheels that carry a decent street value all on their own. There are also these seats, which may be authentic period-correct racing buckets or a modern replica; either way, they’ll look great in the finished product. The rest of the cabin is in need of completion and/or restoration, and it sounds like a few parts are missing. The seller specifies that it comes with a dashboard and instrument panel as well as a driver’s side window, which to me indicates that the windshield is not included.
Now, the one major component that should be replaced by the next owner is the drivetrain, as the GT40 replica features a Type 3 engine to match the chassis. Now, I don’t know how robust these chassis were meant to be, but one would hope it’s possible to swap in a conventional 350 or 427. I don’t know a ton about kit car dynamics, but my gut tells me it can’t handle a 300-horsepower engine as-is. Regardless, for the current bid price, you could have plenty of room in the budget to fabricate the necessary structural reinforcements (if someone else hasn’t already figured out how to do this) and enjoy the thrill of GT40 ownership for a pittance of the original’s price tag.
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Comments
Doesn’t look like a GT40 to me.Maybe if this was painted,
it might resemble one better.
This could be a good deal,but you’d have to do all of the
work on it yourself,or you could end up with a large fortune into
it.
Actually, it does if you compare it to a MK3 GT40. this car will need a ton of time if not cash to finish however a V8 would in my opinion create way more time and expense that necessary. I would hop up a VW and drive it.
As it stands at the moment to me it is junk. A very nice GT 40 body on a VW chassis is just insane. If it were mine I would find a suitable American chassis that would take any V8 engine you like, and then build it into as near an original GT 40 as possible. That way at least you wouldn’t be wasting thousands of dollars on a Volkswagen. At the end of the day a properly built replica GT 40 will be worth a lot more money than a properly built VW based replica GT 40. As a dealer back in the early Noughties I took in a replica GT 40 and the guy was asking me to sell it for him at what I thought was an astronomical asking price. Well, I think I had it for about 4 days and the only time I got to drive it was on it’s only test drive. I had put up a small mark up as I didn’t expect it to sell but it was nice having it on my floor but at the end of the day both of us were very happy.
This does not look like the car for sale above fenders are rounder hood is not flat lights are nicely rounded. Look the GT40 has fenders taller than the door.
Does anyone know where it’s at?
In a sort of reverse let down, a guy I knew went to a car show and there was a real GT 40 there and he wandered around it for a bit then commented to the owner- “That’s real nice, my buddy has one with a Volkswagen motor”. You could practically hear the enamel chipping off the teeth of the GT 40 owner.
I was told a guy did that to the wife of a 917 owner.She was one
of the most arrogant people that I’ve ever met.He asked her –
“Is this one of those kit cars?”.I heard that really set her off.
It would be just as wicked with a Porsche drive train given the weight ratio. Just a consideration. Suspension can always be upgraded for support as well as possible frame modifications. Ya your talking money. It’s worth I would imagine, if not for the thrill. Just a thought.
YIKES!! you would better off buying a DRB, APC, ERA, etc. I have a continuation GT40 with 560 HP, car weighs 2K lbs with driver. Yup, it is a guided missle.
This thing is going to need soooo much work and soooo much money and in the end its still a VW. Not that that is a bad thing as most can’t afford the aftermarket GTs. If you can’t afford to complete this project you can’t afford anything GT40. Except a GT avenger….
It’s still just a bug
Also looks like a Fiber Fab…
I like well done kit cars, but this ain’t one of them….
Sagging windshield frame (no structural support?), lots of rusted surfaces, lots of fiberglass work needed, no title or vin tag. Interesting transparent firewall so you can hear roar of the might 1600. This will be a garage queen for another forty years. Good luck to whoever springs for this mess.
I think the acronym FORD for this one is Found On Road Dead… and that’s where it would remain as far as I’m concerned…. The only use I could come up with this is to have it cleaned up enough to sit on a playground with comfy seats so kids could go vrooom vroooom
That windshield sag is enough to say “Hard Pass”. It gives you a clue on how poorly the structure is designed. If you are a fabricator chassis guy and a body man, it might be a possibility. Put a new 5.0 Coyote motor in it and a six speed transmission and have some fun. An individual with wealth would just buy one buy the top builders of the GT40 at $250k.
Maybe roadkill garage will buy it, hillbilly it up and have some fun with it. At $2700 dollars they could have a lot of fun. Even with the VW motor. Would make for good television.
I can see why it is no reserve.
Just read about a company that acquired from Ford left over Ford GT platforms. They are building the old style GT 40 on them. The article showed a black one. It was wicked and modern. It will run you around 300k to have one built.
When completed, this one will be indistinguishable from one of those…
;)
A GT-40 on a VW pan will never be cool…
I’ve always leaned toward the good old American V-8 for sound and performance. However, my savvy son informed me the Subaru twin turbo Boxer motors can put out 300 plus H.P. and weigh nothing next to the old iron. It may seem a sacrilege to put an import in such an iconic car… but the VW is no better option for a KIT. For me “show AND go” trumps “show AND slow”. Just food for thought.
The original GT40 WAS in imported car. They were made in England.
Nobody cares what frame is in it. I think the way to go is to make it an electric gt40. Take the guts out of a wrecked Tesla. Or put in a WRX engine. Something with some go.
Personally, I’d go the electric route. But not with this seller…
couple of things – that upper windshield frame area “sag”…ain’t sag. Look a the upper corners and they are both broken. Fun to structurally fix correctly. Also, looking at the “quality” of the fiberglass work on the sides/doors (that you can see) you’ve got a LOT of work in front of you. Being on the VW pan doesn’t bother me as much as just getting the body right will be a royal pain. I like the idea someone threw out about dropping a P engine in it. Find a nice 3.2 and this thing would run circles around any SBF or SBC.
Above all no windshield makes it worthless.
If it is a Fiber Fab, I believe it uses a readily available production car windshield. Their Avenger model used a ’65 Mustang fastback rear glass to look exotic.
Wow…cool bug…NOT. Jeff Lavery, I guess you forgot the 1 on the 350 motor you want to swap in…js… I think a hand built frame would be the first thing I’d be looking into…
That is NOT a Fiber Fab, the doors are wrong they are too short and the glass is not framed. Parts do look like one, but to much is wrong. The best thing to do with this is dump that VW motor and put in a turboed Corvair engine, they bolt up to a VW trany. You will have to reverse the gears, one is clockwise the other is counterclockwise.
The Corvair motor does not “bolt up” to the VW tranny. You need an adapter from Crown Industries. To reverse the rotation you need a special camshaft, or if running a Type 1 swing axle trans you can flip the ring gear.
That thing needs a Ford 427 side oiller in it, at around 600HP would make that an impressive kit car
The car was listed with no reserve, but the seller ended the auction early. Now the seller has a Buy It Now price of $7,500 or offer.
Carol Shelby was involved with many British cars mostly the mechanicals (Ford) and a few body mods. However, I’ve never heard that the Ford GT40 was a British design. It was developed and built to beat Ferrari, which it did that quite well.
I’d like to know if the Ford GT40 was originally a British design. ??
long story short as I heard CS tell it – Ford went to Chapman (Lotus) to start with. Chapman gave them what in essence was the Europa with a 260 in it (more or less the T47). Ford liked it, but wanted it to say “FORD”. Chapman wanted it to say “Lotus Ford”. Both parties dug in their heels and the deal crashed. Some stories say that Chapman was so pissed that when the car went into production, it could have been powered by a Cortina 1500 but he went with the Renault instead.
Somewhere in there the Ford Execs started looking around, saw the Lola GT and approached Broadley about putting the Ford engine in it. He said “sure”, redesigned the car around the new 289 and was perfectly happy with the money to call it a “Ford”.
Yes, Eric Broadley’s Lola GT was the inspiration.
Woof. Those doors. The top. The front clip. That’s a damn mess.