SPF GT40 New Owner Observations/Problems

I've now had P/2192 for a few weeks, hardly enough time for a comprehensive report, but nevertheless some things have become manifest. The following are a few initial thoughts on SPF ownership. Bear in mind, these are my experiences and opinions: Yours may be very different.

Dealer Handover
Olthoff Racing in Charlotte, NC was both my dealer and fabricator. After paying my deposit, the car was completed and delivered a little over a year-and-a-half later. That wait could have been halved were it not for the delay associated with the transmission. At first I was on a waiting list for the standard ZF 5DS 25 unit; however demand, coupled with RBT's 'irrational exuberance' over their delivery timetable, meant that the newly developed Quaife ZF-version became available about the same time as my RBT unit did. Based on Olthoff's recommendations I went with the Quaife, and so far it has proven a wise decision. It is a sweet 5-speed transmission: tight, short, and positive. This is clearly an updated, reengineered version of the ubiquitous – and decades old – German ZF.

On taking delivery of my car, I was both surprised and disappointed to discover the economy of documentation provided by Superformance. Rumors had warned that since Lance Stander purchased the company, the company had gone 'on the cheap' regarding support, etc. That certainly is the case when it comes to the handover process. Apart from the title and a receipt for payments made, I didn't receive a thing: no car manual, no warranty document, no listing of authorized dealers, support sites, nothing. Zippo. Bupkis. Nada. When I registered my disappointment, Olthoff appeared embarrassed by the lack of corporate support – but then, what can they do? After all, they're not the manufacturer. As to an owner's manual, I was told a draft version was available on GT40s.com.

Come on, Lance! After spending some $130k+ on one of your cars, don't you suppose you could spring for a packet of documents for the new owner? Are you saving on the cost of paper? Unfortunately, it leaves one with the impression that the Superformance organization is both cheap and poorly managed – certainly when it comes to owner relations. (I'll bet Fran at RCR does a whole lot more for his new customers!)

Car Impressions
One thing any prospective GT40 owner needs to understand is that this is not an everyday driver. Far from it. It is a race car that has been modified for the road, and is therefore hot, noisy, wet, and uncomfortable. Even with the a/c on full blast (comparable to a low-setting in a modern car), in hot weather over 85 degrees it can barely keep up. In such conditions the SPF's a/c manages to blend its cold air with the multiple sources of hot air blasting into the cockpit from a variety of sources (e.g., through the handbrake fitting, permeating the engine bulkhead, venting from the undercarriage).

What all this means is that the occupants are always warm and on the verge of being hot. Turn the engine off even momentarily and the car heats up like a kiln. I very much regret not having insulation placed on the engine-side of the bulkhead before the engine was installed. We'll install what we can as a retrofit, as well as insulating the underside of the seat cushions and plugging what holes and gaps we can find. That insulation exercise will also hopefully help with the cockpit noise, as well. As it is, I can barely hear a conversation on a cell phone unless idling or in fifth gear and easy on the throttle. One essential for trips more than half-hour or so is earplugs. The engine sound is intoxicating and exciting – but trust me, headaches and truncated conversations are unavoidable.

As to driving in the rain, this car should come with a snorkel for the driver and passenger. I must admit to now being flabbergasted that the GT40 was so successful racing in the rain. When delivering my car from NC to Florida, I hit a couple of major deluges that were eye opening. First, the car sucks up water into the passenger compartment like a vacuum cleaner. There was so much water entering the floorboards that I had an inch of standing water under each of the seats. Unfortunately, SPF uses an open-cell foam rubber in the construction of the seats and believe me they work extremely well as sponges. What with all the water collecting under the seats, and soaking into the foam rubber, my ass was soaked for hours. (Ultimately, I had to dry the seats in the sun and manually soak-up the collected water under the seats.) I may either have new seats made with a closed-cell rubber (and replacing the funky gray 'mouse fur' upholstery with something more original), or have someone sew on some waterproof material (along with flexible insulation) on the seat bottoms. Also, water somehow made its way onto the steering column such that when I made a sharp turn right or left, it was as if a faucet was opened and water would pour down on my legs. I have to wonder about the possibility of some future electrical failure given the amount of moisture under the dash.

Obviously, all SPF owners also have to be concerned about rust, what with all the leaks and water collecting in nooks and crannies. Here again, finding and plugging leaks will be a near term imperative. By the way, the Avon 295r/215f tires are as good in the dry as they are scary in the wet. If there is any water collecting on the roadway, the car will hydroplane in a heartbeat. Driving on the freeway in a heavy rain requires very careful driving at speeds of 50mph or less. Despite the impressive old films of GT40s honking down the Mulsanne Strait in driving rain, most drivers will do their utmost to avoid the wet stuff.

Inside there's an economy of comfort. The driver's seat is a testament to careful design by Lola and Ford's engineers. Everything is well positioned and within easy reach, provided your dealer took the time to adjust the pedal assembly to the driver's size. Ford's advertising was right, this is the car "you have to be measured for". Be sure to have your dealer take the time to fit the car for you. Olthoff took the time, and they even have custom seat fillers that add an additional level of driver fit customization. (Remember, the seats in the GT40 don't adjust: they're fixed. The pedal assembly, however, does move fore and aft – though this is not an easy process.)

The passenger seat, on the other hand, has been shrunk to allow a slightly larger driver's seat. Good for the driver, not so good for the passenger. That seat is narrow and, with the door on one side and the tunnel on the other, the effect is somewhat claustrophobic.

[By the way, if you're 6-foot tall or over like I am, figure that even with every adjustment made to lower you in the seat, your head is going to rub the top of the door. And with a helmet on, my head is constantly touching the top of the door, pinned within the confines of the 'Gurney bubble' – probably not the safest situation in the event of a roll-over.]

If you're planning to use the car on a trip, don't plan on bringing any belongings. Seriously. There is no storage whatsoever. Somewhat comically, Superformance claims that storage is available "in both doors". And it's true that these commodious door pockets will easily accommodate both a toothbrush and toothpaste! I even found room for a small screwdriver, the car's documents (folded up), and my sunglasses. After that things get a little tight.

I had Olthoff build a neat little aluminum storage box for the front compartment. Unfortunately, it has been packed full with a small assortment of tools, a lead hammer, and fix-a-flat – no spare tire remember. (My car being a Mk I means that there isn't sufficient room for the two larger storage boxes that can be configured for the Mk II – see Olthoff Racing for more information.) So, if you plan an overnight trip you have two choices: Wear all of your clothes and peel them off each day and mail the castoffs home, or find a very small soft bag that measures about 12"x10"x5" for all of your belongings. Such a bag will fit forward in the passenger footwell (which is actually remarkably deep). If I can find it, I'm thinking my old military aviator's nylon padded helmet bag should do nicely! (You can buy them at army surplus shops.) I also plan to install an elastic cargo net along the right side of the passenger footwell, which could handle a small jacket, maps, etc.

Concluding Thoughts
Okay, I hope this hasn't come off as the grousing of someone with buyer's regret. It isn't. Nor is it intended to reflect unfair criticism: We all understand that these cars are not intended to perform like a Porsche or Ferrari. Those are cars designed for the road with race-car features. The GT40 is a race car with road-car features. No one is going to buy this car as a daily commuter or for long-distance driving (hell, you can't even fit a briefcase in it). If you do, you will surely be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're looking for a spectacular driving experience in an austere and very authentic street-legal vintage race car, this is it! The build quality is there, and I honestly love the car.

There are clearly areas for improvement, and Superformance has yet to mature as a well-rounded company. They've nailed about 90% and now need to work on the margins – and they can't do that sitting on their wallet. In contrast, Olthoff Racing was great; not only are they supremely professional, they appear to be the only outfit that is actively re-engineering many of the flaws found in the in the car as delivered from Superformance. It's no wonder Dennis Olthoff was sought out by Quaife to help in the ZFQ's development and testing! No matter where you live in the US, you owe it to yourself to have Dennis Olthoff & Co. build your car.

As for me, I'm occasionally tracking my car and hitting the open road whenever possible – and tending to the minor improvements that after all are part of the sports car experience for many of us. I'll post an owner's update in the future, and will be happy to help any prospective owners if you have questions on anything I didn't cover.

Kim
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

Kim, adding sound deadener and plugging the holes to decrease water ingress and heat transfer is actually quite easy. take a shop light and put it in the interior and look for the light in the front clip area then plug the holes with neoprene. remove the seats and plug the area around the parking brake( the main sourse of heat ) and a couple of areas behind the seats. Add 5/8 inch neoprene to the motor side of the bulkhead and under the carpet on the bulhead, you will be suprised at the decrease in noise and heat. The a/c works well at this point. My CAV had similiar issues and with a little work it is much better now.
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

Kim, adding sound deadener and plugging the holes to decrease water ingress and heat transfer is actually quite easy. take a shop light and put it in the interior and look for the light in the front clip area then plug the holes with neoprene. remove the seats and plug the area around the parking brake( the main sourse of heat ) and a couple of areas behind the seats. Add 5/8 inch neoprene to the motor side of the bulkhead and under the carpet on the bulhead, you will be suprised at the decrease in noise and heat. The a/c works well at this point. My CAV had similiar issues and with a little work it is much better now.

Chuck:

All good ideas. Do you use sheet neoprene to plug the holes or something else? And how do you attach it without having it work itself loose? Adhesive of some sort? Thanks!

Kim
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

Kim, yes it is sold in sheets, some comes with adhesive backed, otherwise I use contact cement. I have put this in all my cars including my 67 fastback restomod with good results, and it is closed cell. Go to EBAY and look under sound deadener and you should find the vendor, very well priced. I plug every nook and cranny and the difference is significant. Another place to put it is in the inner door . remove the package tray and place it on the inner fiberglass. It really helps with drumming and gives a solid feel to the doors. I also put a layer of dynamat on it prior to placing the neoprene on. chuck
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

Kim,

I am not surprised with your comments at all. And you should not be surprised either! I guess when we all ordered those cars from SPF is because we were looking for the most authentic reproduction of the originals. And that is what they were, noisy, hot, miserable uncomfortable race cars. I do not think the price reflects the refinements on the car but the authenticity to an original. You can find modern refinements on actual Ferrari and Porsches, for almost the same price (and even cheaper) than SPF´s, but those are another story all together.
I guess (or it is at least my opinion) these cars are for the casual outing on a Saturday or Sunday morning, track days... and probably nothing else.
Planning a trip longer than an hour on one of these cars means giving yourself a hard time.
Think for a minute you own an original. Same story, you would have paid x millions to feel hot, noisy, smelly after even a short trip, and you would never think of taking any luggage with you...

I have some other classic cars, and I know that they are not comparable with a modern car, they are another story, fun/exciting to drive them for a while, but when you have to do a long trip in comfort you´d better look for a modern vehicle. Someone who does not own classic cars tends to think you can go with them anywhere, and use them as modern cars, but those who have them know that that is not the case. They are more dangerous (no proper brakes, ABS, airbags, dangerous in case of an accident...), sometimes you can not park them in a proper secure place (this happens more in Europe)...

By the way, I ordered my SPF with no A/C, no carpets, and RHD (the car is in the US)... trying to enjoy the real thing!

Just my 2 cents, Kim
 

Rick Muck- Mark IV

GT40s Sponsor
Supporter
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**


They've nailed about 90% and now need to work on the margins – and they can't do that sitting on their wallet. Kim


As anyone who has built or restored a car knows, the last "10 percent" is the hardest and most expensive part! Why do you think so many of the kit cars advertised, are listed as "90% complete!?!?!

As the SPF GT owner body grows, the shared experience and knowledge will enrich all owners. This is the forum to share that knowledge and several owners have been more than generous with information. I hope it will continue (at least until I can get MY SPF Mk I.....)
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

I don't know if this will help or not. When I first took delivery of 2117, I felt that the AC was marginal at best, but actually I was expecting that, given the nature of what the car is. My wife and I would take the car out to dinner, and the temp was just below the sweat point.
A couple of weeks ago I was fiddling with the controls, the AC on etc, and I turned on the defrost switch all the way to the right. I would never do this with my normal cars in the summer. But guess what? The AC almost froze me out of the car. Now I don't know if this is just peculiar to the way my car is set up, but it made a world of diffrence for me.

Mike
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

I actually have no problem taking mine on extended trips, with minimal luggage of course. it is quite comfortable. I gave up on driving old classics long ago, ie. sixties era muscle cars, because they handle so poorly. Cobra, gt40s, Daytonas however handle so well and do not squeek and rattle, have excellent brakes and the AC works well. They are not BMWs of course. but we are not looking for that are we.
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

Re: the luggage problem.

I'm having a friend make me up what you might call "fitted luggage". They will be made of ballistic nylon (or rip-stop or whatever you call it). They will fit into the right & left door cavities. The drivers side will be approx 15" long by 8" 'high by about 9" wide. This will still give me access to heat & AC controls,and will act as kind of an armrest for my left arm. The passenger side will be about 19" long by 8" high by 9" wide and also act as an armrest. They will have a soft handle on top so ou can just carry them where you want. Now this isn't a whole lot of room, but it will allow me to carry a couple of polo shirts, levis, toiletries.
I don't care for the idea of the aluminum cubes inside the front clip, because of dirt & water problems, but I might consider one just for tools.
I'm also considering a bedroll-type of ballistic luggage that would fit on both seat tops for extended trips.

Mike
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

for the MK11 owners, the aluminum rear luggage contaners are nice. I can slip a pretty good size piece of soft luggage under my knees as well as the passenger knees also.
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

I'm frankly very surprized about the A/C. It must not be fully charged. My Rf is too cold on high. I had a ride in A SPF and the air was great!!! your made need a little charge or has a leak.
 

Bill Hara

Old Hand
GT40s Supporter
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

With such a high percentage of interchangeable parts with the originals, Superformance is viewed as a highly accurate representation of the GT40 and rightly so. It shouldn't mean that you have to put up with torrential downpours inside your car! The a/c unit in the Superformance is a modern addition to the car and in my opinion should work better if it is offered as an option. That is part of what SPF supply prior to dealer involvement and is unacceptable really.
Many of the other manufacturers have compromised on originality (in some way/shape/form) mostly to incorporate various mod-cons into their vehicles for better liveability and with excellent results. You will find many owners with very good a/c and weather tight cabins and on the space issue, other manufacturers have 'found' more space than originally available by modifying the structure, not something that should be done to the SPF as it defeats the purpose.
What I'm trying to say I suppose is that despite the space issues, SPF should at least supply an insulated and weather-tight cabin space so that their a/c unit can function as intended. The owner shouldn't have to expect these teething problems at this price point, and Kim is not the first to 'voice' his issues.

Kim, very much appreciate your comments on your vehicle, it is great to hear the warts and all comments from owners and I think despite some of these things bothering you, you will find adequate solutions rather quickly and then you will have the 'complete' experience. It is a beautiful car and one to be very proud of (which I know you are)! Hopefully SPF will read your post and take measures to improve their service.:thumbsup:

Regards

Bill H
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

One thing any prospective GT40 owner needs to understand is that this is not an everyday driver. Far from it. It is a race car that has been modified for the road, and is therefore hot, noisy, wet, and uncomfortable. Even with the a/c on full blast (comparable to a low-setting in a modern car), in hot weather over 85 degrees it can barely keep up. In such conditions the SPF's a/c manages to blend its cold air with the multiple sources of hot air blasting into the cockpit from a variety of sources (e.g., through the handbrake fitting, permeating the engine bulkhead, venting from the undercarriage).

Quite simply, that is unacceptable. You should not be forced to submit to those conditions, as it is completely possible to insulate the cabin and radically cut down on the radiant heat, as well as hot air being blown into the cabin. Under no circumstances should you settle for the status quo. Place the car in the air in a darkened garage, and put drop lights underneath; wherever you see light leaking into the cabin, heat and/or water are sure to follow. Then take the appropriate steps to seal those openings off. Doing so will enable the A/C to do its job properly.



One essential for trips more than half-hour or so is earplugs. The engine sound is intoxicating and exciting – but trust me, headaches and truncated conversations are unavoidable.

Again, this is unacceptable. There are numerous different sound-deadening products on the market which would go a long way towards alleviating this condition, I suspect. Some come with a weight penalty (i.e. dynamat) which you may find acceptable, or not. Others (such as jute or foam material backed with reflective aluminum) weigh practically nothing; there is no excuse for not using these products to make the cabin both livable and quieter. As an additional benefit, they will also greatly reduce cockpit heat.

As to driving in the rain, this car should come with a snorkel for the driver and passenger. I must admit to now being flabbergasted that the GT40 was so successful racing in the rain. When delivering my car from NC to Florida, I hit a couple of major deluges that were eye opening. First, the car sucks up water into the passenger compartment like a vacuum cleaner. There was so much water entering the floorboards that I had an inch of standing water under each of the seats.

That's hilarious. Unfortunate, but hilarious. :laugh:

Again, using the drop-light technique, you should go on a search-and-destroy mission to find and plug up all the holes that are allowing water into the cabin. There are a LOT of GT40s running around in England where it rains every day. Do you think they are all swimming inside their cars like you were forced to? Of course not.


By the way, the Avon 295r/215f tires are as good in the dry as they are scary in the wet. If there is any water collecting on the roadway, the car will hydroplane in a heartbeat. Driving on the freeway in a heavy rain requires very careful driving at speeds of 50mph or less. Despite the impressive old films of GT40s honking down the Mulsanne Strait in driving rain, most drivers will do their utmost to avoid the wet stuff.

It might be wise to consider regular V-rated road tires as opposed to barely-legal racing tires. I recently found V-rated 225/50-15 front tires here:

V-rated GT40 Front Tires

And almost-matching 295/50-15 rear tires here:

V-rated GT40 Rear Tires

The latter are listed as H-rated on the website; I've eyeballed them myself and they are in fact clearly marked as being V-rated. I'd check the markings to be sure however.

The price is right too!

They are carried by Les Schwab tire stores in the USA.


(My car being a Mk I means that there isn't sufficient room for the two larger storage boxes that can be configured for the Mk II – see Olthoff Racing for more information.)

Not true. In fact Mk I cars were originally offered with two distinctly different methods of storage (not even counting the Mk III version).

Many of the original Mk I cars were built up as road cars, not race cars, and those cars came from the factory with a pair of pannier boxes situated on either side of the gearbox at the very rear of the car. They were almost uniform in shape, although there was a slightly protrusion at the bottom on the inboard side. They had metal lids secured with a pair of Dzus fasteners. Here's a photo of the setup on an original, unrestored car (P/1063):

Mk1RoadCarStorage.jpg


In 1966 the FIA mandated that a suitcase of a specific dimension be capable of being carried (this is what caused the distinctive square protrusions on the trunk lid of the FIA racing Cobras; the suitcase size had been carefully calculated by Ferrari to be ever so slightly larger than a Cobra's trunk!) To accommodate this suitcase, a very simple rectangular bracket was fabricated out of angle iron and perched atop the exhaust system. Here's a photo of Ford France's P/1007 at Monza in 1967, which clearly shows the arrangement:

Mk1RaceCarRack.jpg


Either of these setups would be relatively easy to have fabricated. I know that the former Grady Davis GT40 P/1049 still has this rack installed, so it should be relatively easy to get the general dimensions and measurements if one was concerned about being completely authentic. And I'm sure somebody knows the dimensions of the official FIA suitcase from 1966 too.

Yours is among the greatest-looking Superformance GT40s I've seen. But I think you owe it to yourself to go the final distance to ensure that you enjoy it to its maximum extent. :thumbsup:
 
Re: **New Owner Observations/Problems**

The AC on my SPF MKMI seems fine. The only time my wife ever went for a ride with me was on a very warm day and her only comment was, "Can you turn the air conditioning down a bit, I'm feezing over here." Maybe you need to check your refrigerant levels. And make sure you have your fan on the "high" setting to get maximum effect.
 
I love this stuff! Any of these racecar replicas is only about 80% of a real car!
I have sealed up everything in my CAV including the entire front clip(to keep water and debris from being throw up into the doors and windscreen), removed the brake master and booster and for our luggage we use "Gucci" brand Hefty green garbage bags which custom mold themselves to the contours of the car. We have driven it to many trips of 500 miles each way and are driving it from San Diego to Reno next month.
It rides very well, the A/C on the CAV is good and I have installed way better seats that have good support.
Noise reduction and weatherization will go a long way towards making the car more enjoyable.
I think that many people think that driving a race car on the street is way cool until they actually do it, and I suspect that is why you see all of these cars that are new builds put up for sale.
IMHO, Dave
 

Dave Collins

Supporter
Luggage dimension regs from 1969 Appendix J (FIA 1969 Appendix J) - The actual size of case is as per that in the 1962 regs where only 1 needed to be carried. Obviously the 1966 Mk11a had space for 2 suitcases which I assume are to this (FIA standard?)size:

Article 253-Prescriptions common to all cars of categories A and B
h) Luggage trunk: a covered space shall be provided which is n integral part of the coachwork but outside the space occupied by the passenger seats.​

This space shall be such as to enable to carry without special difficulty a number of suit-cases, sheltered from rain or dirt which varies according to the cylinder-capacity of the engine equipping the car (see below), of the following minimum dimensions: 60 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm.
Cylinder-capacity inferior or equal to 2,000 cc:1 suit-case
Cylinder-capacity superior to 2,000 cc2 suit-cases.
However, in cars having inside dimensions which are inferior to the minimum laid down in article 253 b to allow classification as a four-seater, but which contain a compartment behind the front seats liable to receive passengers, this compartment may be taken into account as luggage space whether or not it has been equipped for this purpose but without modifying any of the original parts.


Regards



Dave
 

Jack Houpe

GT40s Supporter
I have been posting and working on these issues since my Mk1 hit the road, slowly but surely bringing down the noise, heat issues to an acceptable level and sealing off the water intrusion. My wife and I took the car out last Friday 5 pm and the heat index was over 100 here in NW Arkansas, the AC unit was cooler than any pre 85 Ferrari or Lamborghini I have driven and also we could hear each other without using hand signs. Plugging all the holes, changing the rear window, insulating the foot well, cab and doors has made my car more of a pleasure to drive (pimped out this is what my friend called it). I also installed an XM radio in the drivers door with Boise NC headset for when on long runs. Guess to each his own, I wanted a weekend driver and pretty close to achieving that. Now the next step is those boxes Mike Drew just posted.

On another note Dennis Olthoff has to be the busiest man in NC but has never failed to answer my questions or return my calls and he only sold me a roller. Doing this yourself really makes you appreciate how difficult it is to get the finished product correct. SPF produces a great looking package full of problems to resolve many which the original cars had but times have changed and things are better with automotive parts and technology so I plan on making my MK1 the best my pocket book and mind can handle. (body too, ibuprofen is a must)

I would like a really owners manual with all the electrical diagrams and specifications for the car, at the least SPF should provide that to new and old owners.
 
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