J9, formerly J7A

I have seen posted on a Ferrari web site a picture of a white Ford GT MKIV. The inference is that it is the former unraced J7A chassis J9 which has been rebodied as a MKIV. Anyone have details?
 
It is not J7A but G7A. Two J Chassis were used for the G7A CanAm Car. I saw pictures of J-9 a few weeks ago and it is already converted to MK-IV body and specs. J-10 which was the other G7A is at Kenny Thomson shop in the process of being rebodied to MK-IV specs. J-11 and J-12 were spare chassis and were finished MK-IV body long time ago. J-10 was raced (more than any other J-Car tub)

Kenny did J-13 thru J-19 complete replicas. J-19 has the body of the first JCar the Breadwagon. J-1 and 2 used this body. Ken Miles died in one of them and the other was destroyed in testing the chassis. J-10 is owned by Peter Portante (ERA), James Holden and myself.
 
Amazing job on this car... Should be in Monterey for the weekend then to Goodwood?
Southern Cali collector owns it along with a Mk1.
 
J9 will be at Goodwood Revival
 

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So now there will be two White Ford MKIV's Ex Rod Leaches J-11(J-12? I can never remember the right number) and J-9 that were never at Le Mans in 1967 as MKIVs!
I was wondering wheither any MKIV's would be at the Revival. Not that I have anything against them but strictly speaking they are a parallel design and not GT40's. Even though they are also outside the time scale for the 1966 cutoff date.
It still seems to me an odd date to celebrate the GT40 as the first car was not produced until 1st April 1964. Still I was hoping that outside the date the 1968/69 Le Mans winner GT40P/1075 might be shipped over?
Regards Allan
 
So now there will be two White Ford MKIV's Ex Rod Leaches J-11(J-12? I can never remember the right number) and J-9 that were never at Le Mans in 1967 as MKIVs!
I was wondering wheither any MKIV's would be at the Revival. Not that I have anything against them but strictly speaking they are a parallel design and not GT40's. Even though they are also outside the time scale for the 1966 cutoff date.
It still seems to me an odd date to celebrate the GT40 as the first car was not produced until 1st April 1964. Still I was hoping that outside the date the 1968/69 Le Mans winner GT40P/1075 might be shipped over?
Regards Allan

The tubs that are now called J-11 and 12 were spare tubs with no id plate. J-9 and J-10 were race cars with a different body (G7A Canam with no roof structure). The Mark I thru IV were all Ford GT. The 2005 was also called by Ford, Ford GT. Ford did not register the GT40 trademark in a car and was later register by other.
 
MK IV GT40 tubs were built in 1966

Ken Miles died in fall of 1966 testing a MK IV

The car has met Goodwoods criteria

Miles did in a J-Car (Breadwagon) and not a MK-IV. The MK-IV body reduced the rear aero lift that caused the accident. The car broke in 2 pieces and Miles was ejected from the car. The second Breadwagon body was destroyed in testing.

Kenny Thompson did J-19 which is a Breadwagon replica with a 2 speed automatic box.
 
MK IV GT40 tubs were built in 1966

Ken Miles died in fall of 1966 testing a MK IV

The car has met Goodwoods criteria

The MKIV did not exist in 1966.
The J-car was official called 'GTP'
Ken miles J-2 Can Am version and the first J-1 Bread van Le mans trial were not MkIV's but J-cars
J-3 although constructed as a J car in October 1966 was and rebodied as a MKIV after February 1967
J-4 the Sebring winner was constructed on a Breadvan J car mix chassis in January 1967
J-5 was the first car to be scrathbuilt as a MKIV as well as being the 1967 Le Mans winner
J-6 this car finished fourth in the 1967 Le Mans
J-7 and J-8 were the Holman and Moody 1967 entries both DNF J-6 crashed and J-7 retired.
Like jmvelez has said J-9 was not built until August 1967 as a G-7A Can Am car complete with deyhedyral wing.
According to Ronnies Spains book J-9 was unraced and J-10, was the G-7A car that competed unsucessfully in races before crashing.Thus ending the J/MKIV saga.

jmvelez true the first twelve preproduction cars were called Ford GT's The production cars had chassis numbers GT40P/. The Ford GT40 was official homologated for group 4 racing in May 1965 under that name.
Fords whole original project inception in 1963 was Total performance. Ford GT could be applied to all the cars in it. Except the MKIV were called Ford MKIV's But there are referred to as GT40 which they are not!
Regards Allan
 
"jmvelez true the first twelve preproduction cars were called Ford GT's The production cars had chassis numbers GT40P/. The Ford GT40 was official homologated for group 4 racing in May 1965 under that name.
Fords whole original project inception in 1963 was Total performance. Ford GT could be applied to all the cars in it. Except the MKIV were called Ford MKIV's But there are referred to as GT40 which they are not!
Regards Allan"

Enclosed is J-9 plate which is similar to ours J-10 plate and J-4 plate. No mention of MK-IV on J-4 or J-9. J-9 and J-10 plates states the G-7A and the manufacturer (FoMoCo and Kar Kraft). 12 tubs were built by Brunswick Aircraft Company. Numbered tubs only the first 10. the last two remaining were spare parts and later finished.

The registry for the 1967 Le Mans the Ford MK-IV, Ford MK-II and Ford GT40 were used to name the cars. Only the Mk-I were entered GT40

The 1969 register shows the winner car "John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd, GB
Ford GT40"

A Rose by any name is still a Rose. Ford GT, Ford GT40, Ford GT40 MK-I to MK-IV is still a Ford GT. They were all part in history by defeating Ferrari at Le Mans. All have importance. The MK-II won in 66 123. The MK-IV the all american win in 67 and 68/69 the obsolete MK-I won 2 years in a row with the same car (1075)
 

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A Rose by any other name in the case of the MKIV is a Tullip
You can call any car what ever you want. You can call the MKIV a Ford GT or A Ford GT40.
Except its a J car not a Ford GT or a Ford GT40. The J car project was called GTP not GT or GT40 MKIV

Like I said its a parallel design development.
The MKIV was not designed from scratch but was basically a remodeled J car produced in an extremely quick time by Phil Remington and his colleagues at Shelby/Kal Kraft. They manage a miracle by transforming an unsuccessful design into a Le Mans and Sebring winner

The MKIV was going to be called the MKIII but the GT40 road car got there first.
Racing car names and numbering are not always sequencial i.e. Lola

You are quiet correct that the Ford MKIV is part of Fords Total performance package when in 1963 Ford tried to buy Ferrari and when that failed set out to win Le Mans at whatever cost. but it was not an original concept. It was only brought about because Henry Ford II wanted an all American car with preferable an all American crew to win Le Mans. He did not consider the 1966 Le Mans winning car an American car!!(Anglo American car with an all New Zealand crew).

Right I am going to be pedantic

1) But you cannot call a MKIV a Ford GT40 because obviously its not 40 inches(40.5") in height
Its 38.5"
2) Apart from its engine and transmission it shares nothing with a GT40 (and that would be a 1967 Ford MKIIB)
Its has a completely different chassis honeycombed and riveted
3) The common design allows the fitting and interchangeablity of most body panels on a a small block or a MkII or MKIII or later small block Gulf can be fitted with minor modification i.e. I have seen in 1967 a GT40 with earlier front nose and later rear clips. I have seen small block with MKIII side windows and also MKII rear clips. Remember though the development of the Ford GT/ GT40 in early pre-production small blocks 1964 -1965 Production GT40s:- MKII, MKIII and later small block Gulf cars panels could be changed.

So I am not against the MKIV. Just saying its development and conception were not as a variant of the Ford GT/Ford GT40

The development of the Ford GT, GT40 would be like this

1) Small block pre-production including roadsters, production including MKIII road car, Mirage M1, Gulf
2) Big block pre-production GT106 GT107, X-1 Can Am, MKII, MKIIB
Both small 255 289 302 305 325 and Big block 427 are integrated

3) Big Block GTP J car, MKIV, G-7A Can Am
The J car project is separate development from the GT40 one specifically designed for the J regulations at Le Mans

Regards Allan
 
The MK-IV tubs were not built in 66.

J Car Tubs which are different from MK-IV tubs were.

MK-IV's are not Ford GT's and the Homolagation Papers Ford Filed with the FIA clearly proves that.

They are Ford MK-IV's

J9 is not nor ever was a Ford MK-IV. It is a G-7A currently fitted with a replica MK-IV body and other replica MK-IV parts. J-9 was built in August 1967 as a G-7A Can Am car not as a MK-IV.

J9 was recently converted to a replica MK-IV.
 
Like Jim says the MKIV is called a Ford MKIV. With no references to Ford GT or Ford GT40.
It is true that the J-car was introduced as a successor to the MKII big blocks. Its inception had nothing to do with the GT40 development. It was more to do with the natural fact that a design started in 1963 would have not been competitive 4 years later in racing terms.
It was also brought about because to the regulations introduced under the 'J' appendix which among other things allowed the front screen size to be changed.
The 1967 JWAE Mirage M1 showed how this rule could be applied to a GT40. Since they used unnumbered GT40 chassis.
The obvious last Ford official backed GT40 variant was the 1967 MKIIB and this variant of the Ford GT/GT40 family was used as a backup for the MKIV's because the MKII was too heavy to be competitive that why the J/MKIV was brought in.
The 1968/69 Gulf success happened because of luck and reliability more than anything. It was both unexpected and a bonus to Ford. Parts that were held back by Ford were made available to JWAE. In 1968 of the three team Le Mans cars GT40P/1074 the ex Mirage was the fastest. The update GT40P/1084 the old updated GT40P/1004 1965 car the slowest. And GT40P/1075 in the middle!!!
Regards Allan
 
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