Re: Correction: 1965 Mark 1 Roadster #108 is alive.
:embarassed: Forgive me. I must apologize and make a correction to my original entry. The Chassie number is #108. I was corrected by my brother and I must make things correct. Here is what he said. (I will add the "first time he saw the car" picture he mentioned after I finish writing. The worry about the license plate is that it may very well be from Michigan because it most likely came from there to Car Craft in Minnesota and still had the old plates on it.)
Here goes.
"The photos were taken in Minnesota in October 1971 on the first day I saw the car. In fact, the shotof it backing out of the garage was the first time i saw it. It was a 1965 Ford GT-40 Serial #GT108, which made it Car #8 of the original handbuilt 13 cars. I always laughed when I read in the refrence books that the car was destroyed or some such drivel while I had it in my garage. Four open cockpit roadsters were in the batch, and mine was supposedly the only survivor. It was driven down to me in Springfield , IL in late October 1971 by the seller. The seller was a former employee of Car Craft who had been given permission to restore the car from their supply of original parts to replace missing items. The basic car was all there and partially disassembled (for whatever reason), so he recieved permission to put it back together and buy it. When he needed some money, he advertised it for sale on AutoWeek, where I saw the ad and made contact with him. I had the car for about 5 years, selling it in 1976. It was winched up into a box truck and carried away. I have more pictures on dated slides from the last days I owned the car."
"The car was sold to me for $15,000 (1971 dollars, and about all I had saved up by that time in my life). The car had a Ford 289cid high performance engine. When I went for car insurance, there was no data inthe books about a GT-40, even though it was street legal. I described the car as a used 1965 fiberglass sports car pouered by a small-block Ford 289 engine. Having no rating experience, my insurance company charged me $300 a year for full liability and collision with uninsured motorist's coverage, which was probably the going rate for a small-block used 1965 Chevrolet Corvette. Perhaps I had a multiple-car discount because I also insured my 1968 Pontiac GTO convertible with the 400cid engine with them."
It required Sunoco 260 gasoline, and it was my practice to get in and out of a gas station before the crowds started to gather. While it had two fuel cells in the frame on either side of the car, I only used the right one on the driver's side. It had no speedometer. It would cruise in 3rd gear at 70mph on the interstate. 5th gear wasn't much good below 150mph.
If your friends are snickering over the listings in the history books indicating the car did not exist, the history books are wrong. GT108 was the only GT-40 to ever have a litter of kittens born in the passenger seat."
I stand corrected on the Chassie number. It is #108 and not 106. Sorry for the error and confusion. The pictures are still good and I am adding a picture of the #108 coming out of the bay. So lets start again please.