- One of the 12 original Ford GT40 prototypes is on the way to auction
- The car with Chassis No. GT/109 is one of only two surviving Roadster examples
- The car was the only Roadster prototype that drove in Le Mans race what it did in 1965
A rare opportunity to own one of the original Ford GT40 prototypes will soon be available.
The 2025 edition of Mecums annual auction in IndianapolisPlanned for May 9th to 17th, a Ford GT40 Roadster prototype from 1965 will see under the hammer.
The car that carries Chassis number GT/109is one of 12 prototypes for the GT40 built between 1964 and 1965. Five of these prototypes were streets, and GT/109 is the only roadster that runs from Le Mans race in the 24 hours. It started in the 1965 race with Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier as a driver, but went out after the 11th round due to gear problems.
After the race, it was shipped to Shelby American for reconstruction. The plans changed, however, and the car became a development car for Kar Kraft’s automatic transmission, Fords Weber Carburetor-Vier-Cam-Indy engine and numerous other engine and brake systems over the years. Ultimately, Californian car adjustment Dean Jeffries In 1968 the car from Ford and its current owner, Mecum founder Dana Mecum, acquired it from Jeffries’ son in 2013 and let it restore it into his original Le Mans configuration.
1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype with Chassis No GT/109 – Photo via Mecum
GT/109 is one of only Two surviving Roadster prototypes. The other with chassis no. GT/108 rose in 2019 to auction and won a final bid of $ 7,650,000. It was not unusual for the GT40 prototypes to be used for testing and were later scrapped. Even the first two GT40 prototypes GT/101, which is shown in the example shown 1964 New York Auto Showand GT/102 were both scrapped after use for crash tests.
In its current specification, the Auto A shows Hipo 289 V-8 engine This was rebuilt and comprises an experimental Ford/Shelby -Anschwarmümmer as well as the original “bundle of snakes” dabs designed by Shelby. The 5-speed manual transmission was also rebuilt.
This is the third time that Mecum tried to sell GT/109. It was laid under the hammer at Mecum auctions in 2018 and 2020 and passed on in both earlier times.
