UP NEXT
Father-and-son restoration on this beautiful blue bathtub.
Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter featuring the very latest from Petrolicious. Don’t be left out—join the ranks of those who Drive Tastefully.
Already a member? Log in
We're glad you're back.
Not a member yet? Sign up
We'll get you back on track.
Films:
1966 Ford GT40 Continuation: Building A Le Mans Legend, The Right Way
50 + years and the car still looks fresh!
One nice detail (out of the many this car has) is the lumo on the roof, in order to accomodate taller drivers 🙂
Petrolicious is the web version (kind of) of “Gone in 60 seconds” – the list of vehicles you guys have shown throughout the years is just ecletic and impressive!
Thanks to the owner and petrolicious for such a beautiful choice!
I may have used a pic of your car as reference for my Mk II painting: http://www.nattilden.com/painting/bgawn92jrluqqui9ec3edfi5excfg0
I absolutely LOVE the GT40, and particularly the Mk II. It’s certainly my favorite American car ever made, and depending on the day it can top my list regardless of manufacturer.
Superb video.
The car sounds beastly with that old straight-piped V8.
How come that the shifter is sitting at his right side when it got the steering wheel in right side as well? This seems unnecessary troublesome when fitting a gearbox and on a daily basis when entering and exiting the car.
You are right that the car is over powered for anything but the largest road courses. Wasn’t the original Mulsanne Straight one of the longest in the world? Two chicanes were added in 1990, to break it up into three sections limiting maximum course speed to more or less sane levels. So the Straight for which this car was designed was 3.7 miles long. That’s longer than a flying mile course at Bonneville. At this point in time is there a standard race course in the world long enough such that speeds like those attained by Foyt and Gurney in 1967 could be achieved with this car? I don’t know; I am asking. My guess is that if any exist the numbers are low single digits.
When I hear a story like this, that a man spent all this time to make it as real as it can be. Searched for every correct part, took off great parts because they were not equal to 1966 parts, then I just have to ask two questions. How long was this labour of love? And how much of your hard earned dough did it take? Somewhere in this video those two questions could have been answered. Because all of us who work on our loved vehicles know time and money are never enough.
In the world of fast things there are a few that stand out not just for being fast but for checking the boxes of all human senses. Things like P-51 Mustangs, Supermarine Spitfires, Top Fuel Dragsters, Kawasaki 2 stroke triples, and too many other motorcycle to name. I have seen their beautiful forms, heard their intoxicating sounds, felt the ground and air shake in their wake, smelled and tasted unique aroma of their metal and oil, as the fire that drives them is cooled in the air. I hope some day to stand next to a road and let this car check off the last boxes.
The people at Petrolicous really are documenting all the important cars of the second half of the 20th century, along with the thoughts and concerns of the people who restore them, one after the other. If the car was significant in some way, whether it was a 300cc Isetta, or some 600 horse power monster, they are working their way through the list.
The car is maintained and driven in Ohio, so a little out of Leno’s orbit. This said, it would be enjoyable to see it get a little more exposure. The GT40s were such important transitional cars. The valve lift was done through a six inch push rod, and was so reliable, at a time when many relied on complex double over head cam systems that raised the engine profile, and broke. The chassis codified the mid-engine real wheel drive configuration for a GT car, that remains the standard arrangement to this day. It was such a pivotal car.
Maybe the best film yet of al the great films on Petrolicious. An amazing story of dedication to one of the great automotive stories of all time. I was enamored with the Ford GT as a youngster to the point of having a Ford GT slot car that I painted British racing green as my own personal tribute. I am a stickler for originality and his dedication to having every detail true to the original is especially rewarding to me. I am truly humbled to praise the dedication and intelligence it took to create this gift of history and his joy of being able to share his penultimate passion with the world. I tip my hat to you sir. Thanks
Along with the Cobra and McLaren F1, the MkII is my top three favourite car and this one’s gorgeous. Would have been a far better video if there was less time spent flogging the sponsor and some actual time spent flogging the car the way it’s supposed to be beaten, like a rented mule (or Kenny Brack at Goodwood in the rain).
