One-off Ford GT40 might hit eight digits

One of the earliest Ford GT40 supercars ever made, a GT/109 Roadster, is scheduled for an auction in mid-May. When it cropped up on sale five years ago, experts believed it could fetch up to $10,000,000, but the sale fell through.

Ford has assembled a dozen of prototype racers under a new “GT Competition” badge in January 1964 through April 1965. Only five were roadsters, and only two of them have survived to our days. The other one, with the chassis designation GT/108, was street-legal and equipped accordingly.

In contrast, the car shown here was being built specifically for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles had amassed quite a wealth of experience racing at the Daytona and Sebring events in 1965, scoring podium wins in fixed-roof cars, and were eager to try a similar build in a roadster format.

The GT/109 ended up driven by Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but dropped out of the race as early as the 11th lap due to a drivetrain failure. Once repaired, the unfortunate racer stayed at Shelby’s until it was acquired by Ford. Renowned vehicle customizer and collector Dean Jeffries bought it from the company in 1968 and kept until his passing away in 2013.

The current owner of the unique GT40 is none other than Dana Mecum, the founder of the Mecum auction platform. He financed a full restoration of the car and claims it is now in fully authentic condition, just like 60 years ago. This includes the “Ford of France” livery and Le Mans starting grid number 15.