The GT40 prototype run at Le Mans in 1965 but was removed after the 11th round
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by Brad Anderson
March 17, 2025 at 21:28
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- This Ford GT40 Roadster has belonged to the founder of Mecum for more than a decade.
- In 2019, the only other GT40 prototype existing roadster sold $ 7.65 million.
- The power is supplied by a Cobra-Spec V8 of 289 cubic inch and a five-speed manual gearbox.
One of the headliners of the Indy Mecum Auctions sales event in mid-May is a rare jewel: a 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype. This is one of the 12 GT prototypes built by Ford between January 1964 and April 1965, and only five of them were roadsters. To top it all, it is the only GT roadster to have ever contributed to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, almost certainly cement its place as one of the most precious Fords that exist.
This specific model, known as GT / 109, was delivered to Shelby in March 1965 for Final PREP before the big race. The Shelby team has made several key upgrades to prepare it for Le Mans, including a new layer of white paint associated with a dark blue livery. It was one of the five Ford GTS to run at Le Mans in 1965, equipped with a Cobra 289 inch V8 Cubic V8 and a manual transmission at five ZF.
Read: Ford returns to the high -level category in Le Mans, aimed at beating Ferrari again
The French racing pilots Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier led the car to Le Mans, but he had to be withdrawn after the 11th round when the gearbox failed. He was then returned to Shelby American to be rebuilt and a few years later, was bought by Dean Jeffries, Californian car personalist. The founder of Mecum Auctions, Dana Mecum, bought the car from Jeffries in 2013 and rebuilt it once again.
Mecum photos
Curiously, this is the third time that Dana Mecum has been trying to sell the car via her popular platform. In 2018, the car was included in the Kissimmee auction in Mecum, but was not sold. In 2020, MECUM tried again to sell it and expected it to report between $ 7.5 million and $ 10 million. He also seems to have failed during the second attempt. It may be a case of the third time is charm.
The only other GT40 Survivor Roadster prototype, GT / 108, was sold at the auction of Monterey de RM Sotheby in 2019 for $ 7.65 million. Let’s see if GT / 109 can bring a similar figure home – or perhaps more – this time.
If you are interested in examining this rare piece of automotive history or perhaps even adding it to your collection (assuming that you have the type of fund that would make most of us cry), you can consult the full list and all the details here.
