At first glance, this beautiful car is a genuine Ford GT40 MkI from the period 1964 to 1966. But your correspondent passed the Grand Garage Paul Wengler in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, five minutes after the garage shut – so it was impossible to ask about the various Fords in the classic part of this modern Ford dealership.
If it is a genuine GT40, it will have a 4.7-litre (289 cu.in) engine. The MkI had little success in its initial form at the 1964 and 1965 Le Mans 24 hour races, but was later more successful when modified and run by John Wyer in 1968 and 1969, winning Le Mans in both those years and Sebring in 1969.
The MkII was a rather different car, with many bodywork changes, and was powered by a 7-litre litre (427 cu.in) engine, and wiped the floor with the opposition at the 1966 Le Mans race, with a 1-2-3 finish.
Our doubts that this is a real MkI came from the recent 2017 Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, where two cars in the exact same livery, and with the same racing number 6, were for sale at around £70,000. Replicas, clearly. Perhaps somebody with more knowledge about these cars can tell us whether this is indeed a real one.
Leave a Comment