Oct 3, 2021  •  For Sale  •  20 Comments

Labor of Love Porsche 911-Powered Ford GT40 Replica

Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from some link clicks and purchases.

Everyone knows the story of Ford and Ferrari at Le Mans, and the Ford GT is one of the most popular passenger cars to ever come out of that race. Porsche, as luck would have it, also has an extensive history racing at Le Mans. So, you’re a fan of the 24 Heures du Mans, and you can’t decide which legend you want to take to the grocery store. Why not make your own? This replica of a Ford GT40 has the looks of the GT40’s ancestor, the Lola GT, and a Porsche powertrain. You can find it here on eBay, and it looks exceptionally well-built for a homemade racer.

Lola’s GT, its offspring: Ford’s GT, and even Porsche’s own entrant the 917, all had mid-mounted engines. The 911 famously is, and always has been, rear-engined; and since this uses a 911 engine on a Volkswagen chassis, it is also rear-engined. Not that that’s a bad thing, though. You’re getting a car powered by the legendary air-cooled Porsche flat-six, though the seller does mention it runs rough. The carburetors were supposedly rebuilt poorly and will probably need to be rebuilt again to get it running right.

Under the body is an extensively modified Beetle chassis. The seller is not the one who built it, which is a shame because the person who did build this must have been some sort of mad scientist. They were supposedly a mechanical engineer before they passed away, and I can believe that. Absolutely nothing about this car says “this used to be a Beetle.”

Inside, the builder evidently wanted comfort in their racing car, so you’ll find power windows, seat belts, a cigarette lighter, and even electric door releases. The interior is trimmed nicely with black seating surfaces and matching carpet. This was a labor of love from the builder. Anyone can buy a kit from Factory Five or Superformance, it takes a special kind of skill and dedication to build and design your own tribute from the ground up, using–of all things–a Beetle as a donor. It’s not a real Ford or Lola GT, but that’s okay. This car you can actually drive and enjoy without worrying about scratching the million-dollar paint, and even better: this car very clearly meant something important to the person who built it, if they were to go to this much trouble to fabricate and assemble everything from scratch. That’s admirable. If the new owner loves this half as much as the builder, it will be going to a good home.

Comments

  1. alphasudMember
    Oct 3, 2021 at 10:41pm

    This looks to be a 2.0 911 engine should offer moderate acceleration when it’s properly tuned. Looks like one of the better kit car executions. At least it will make nice Porsche noises doing so.

    Like 12
  2. Creekrat
    Oct 4, 2021 at 7:14am

    Looks like based on the Fiberfab Avenger GT platform and sweetly executed! It would make a nice addition to my garage!

    Like 6
    • A.J.
      Oct 4, 2021 at 10:24am

      You are correct. This is clearly a Fiberfab kit. Calling it a Ford GT replica is to wish away the stigma that comes with Fiberfab.

      Like 6
  3. CadmanlsMember
    Oct 4, 2021 at 7:21am

    Someone took some time and care to assemble this one. Looks good, had to work pretty hard to get it that far

    Like 6
  4. Fred
    Oct 4, 2021 at 8:04am

    sadly i would not be surprised if the motor ends up in the back of a 914 or 912 given where prices are these days.

    Like 8
  5. Howie Mueler
    Oct 4, 2021 at 11:01am

    This is very nice, looks like no reserve. Will be fun for the new owner.

    Like 3
  6. Victor Anderson
    Oct 4, 2021 at 11:28am

    Riiiiight. One of the points of a kit car is that its supposed to be cheap to keep – so here you have a junky VW frame with an expensive-to-keep porsche motor that doesn’t even put out much power — thus giving you all the worst components possible to build such a car. brilliant.

    Like 0
  7. richard bradner
    Oct 4, 2021 at 12:35pm

    Hmmm, wasn’t it just a couple of days ago you said you’d never heard of Fiberfab, and yet I’m sure will have seen a few of these little gems over the years.
    You see, you lnow more that you think you know!

    Like 2
  8. Mike
    Oct 4, 2021 at 12:47pm

    “Absolutely nothing about this car says “this used to be a Beetle.”

    The e-brake and the scrotum like rubber boot for it says Beetle.

    Like 4
    • James Simpson
      Oct 4, 2021 at 8:55pm

      Good Eye! I restore exotic car parts professionally. Currently, I am restoring several failed parts fitting a Bugatti Veyron. Yes, VW parts! However, also having billet aluminum hand serial numbered aluminum knobs. HA!

      Like 0
    • BigAl
      Oct 5, 2021 at 4:22pm

      That’s exactly what I said when lookin at pics….laughed so hard,bout peed pants

      Like 0
  9. JBD
    Oct 4, 2021 at 1:29pm

    Stunning Build! It would cost a lot more to build this car from scratch!

    Like 1
  10. t-bone BOB
    Oct 4, 2021 at 4:25pm

    Located in:
    Clarksburg, West Virginia

    Like 1
  11. EricB
    Oct 4, 2021 at 6:20pm

    Wow. If this goes for anywhere near the current bid of $13,800 it is a steal. Beautiful lines and paint. Understated, but nice interior. Spend a little getting the tune sorted and you have a really nice car that should be pretty quick and will get you lots of attention. Maybe too much. Not sure what is up with the VIN. Probably a ¨home built¨ number issued by the DMV. Not sure what it will take to get a title in your state – something to check on.

    Like 2
    • DayDreamBeliever DayDreamBeliever
      Oct 4, 2021 at 6:48pm

      Agreed.
      Just the drivetrain has to be worth the current bid.

      Considering that the car has to weigh well below 2000 pounds, and lightness = performance. I’m betting that it would indeed be fun to drive on the curvy country roads. Get away from the city in this, it would attract too much attention there!

      Does need a new pad/cover on the clutch pedal though. Desperately. Or is that be brake pedal?

      Like 1
  12. jwaltb
    Oct 5, 2021 at 4:59am

    “Engine is fairly dry underneath.”
    What it meant to the dead guy who built it is not an arbiter of value. It looks little like a Ford GT, it has disc brakes in the front only, engine runs poorly.
    And it’s a VW underneath. Good luck to the eventual buyer!

    Like 0
  13. chrlsful
    Oct 5, 2021 at 7:59am

    ZF 5 speed? power to weight ratio?
    Might B nice, can’t tell…

    Like 0
  14. bobhess bobhessMember
    Oct 5, 2021 at 1:28pm

    Buying this car right and supertuning all the small areas commented on could produce a pretty neat car like wider tires in the rear to balance the weight and engine power. No more than this car weighs you could tweak the horsepower without spending a fortune and have a real barn burner. I like it.

    Like 2
  15. DayDreamBeliever DayDreamBeliever
    Oct 5, 2021 at 11:59pm

    Sold for $17,200

    With some proper sorting, this will be a ton of fun to drive, and attract a lot of attention.

    Like 1
  16. t-bone BOB
    Oct 6, 2021 at 10:44am

    Ended:
    Oct 05, 2021
    Winning bid:
    US $17,200.00
    [ 23 bids ]

    Like 0

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

*

Barn Finds