Hi Jim
I asked about GT40 #P1040 its in kit form!! and has been for years. Below is the data
FORD GT40 #P1040
Background
Baptized by the fire of international GT car racing, maturing as a four-time conqueror of
Le Mans and World Champion, and growing old as a revered icon and vintage racer, the 134 GT40s that were the end product of Henry Ford II's determination to challenge and beat Ferrari's domination of international GT car racing captured the attention of the world auto racing and collector car communities. Across all its numerous models and variants—coupes, roadsters, prototypes, production cars, competition cars, road cars, street cars, small block motors (and even a 4-cam Ford Indy engine or two), big blocks, lightweights, J-cars, Mirages—"The Ford That Beat Ferrari" is today in the top echelon of collector sports and grand touring race cars.
Volumes have literally been written on the history and engineering details of the GT40, and this
information need not be repeated here. Readers are cautioned that, the older the publication date of any book or article, the less accurate these histories are, particularly regarding specific chassis numbers.
History of Ford GT40 #P1040 to August 1978
In late 1965 Georges Filipinetti, Ferrari importer for Switzerland, decided to augment his race team of Ferrari customer cars and ordered two GT40 MkI race cars from Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV) in England. It has been suggested that Ford had some kind of back door negotiations with Filipinetti, wanting to use his Scuderia as a source of additional entries at Le Mans. Hence, the thinking is that Filipinetti extracted some support from Ford as an independent, but quasi-factory, GT40 entrant. To fill the Filipinetti order, production race chassis P1039 and P1040, painted in the Scuderia's team colors of signal red with a white stripe from nose to tail, were delivered by FAV in March 1966.
P1040 appeared at the Le Mans trials in early April 1966 driven by Willie Mairesse, Herbert
Muller (both Filipinetti team drivers) and Innes Ireland (Ireland's only time in a GT40), and then
raced at Monza in late April, placing second in class and third overall with Muller and Mairesse driving. P1040 was returned to FAV for preparation for Le Mans and had special modifications made that were done only on Ford factory Le Mans GT40s. As one of 14 cars in Ford’s onslaught on the 1966 Le Mans race, P1040 was running an excellent fifth overall (driven by Peter Sutcliffe/Dieter Spoerry) and was the leading small block GT40 until running off the track after 16 hours, suffering damage that forced its retirement.
Further details of the history of GT40 #P1040 can be found in "GT40: An Individual History and Race Record" by GT40 historian and author Ronnie Spain.
History of Ford GT40 #P1040 After August 1978
Upon purchase by the current owner in August 1978, P1040 was an operable, running, car. It was not, however, in a condition that was satisfactory and safe, as numerous systems did not function properly as a result of what was a poorly executed "restoration" in the early 1970s. The car was kept intact and used occasionally for street drives, but no racing or track events, until 1983, when the motor was removed. In 1989, the entire car was disassembled down to the bare tub by Tom Milner Racing in Winchester, Virginia (current BMW factory team).
In the early 1990s, the chassis was delivered to Bob Ash (FAV Co., Norcross, Georgia), who specializes in GT40 restorations, for examination and development of a restoration plan. However, no work was done at that time and the tub was eventually returned to Maryland. The tub has recently been bead blasted and primed to stabilize it in preparation for restoration.
Both prior to and after its disassembly, P1040 was closely examined, in some cases more than once, by a number of race car technicians and restorers who had expert, specialized knowledge about GT40s, as well as by Ronnie Spain, the preeminent historian and authority on GT40s. In no case was the originality or identity of the car questioned. References to these experts can be provided upon request.
Restoration
Any prospective purchaser of GT40 #P1040 must assume that a total and comprehensive restoration of the car will be needed. Although it was in operable condition prior to disassembly in 1989, the reconstruction of the car subsequent to the Monza ’67 fire was not of the highest quality. Also, any original part would now be almost 35 years old and in need of thorough examination for structural soundness. Thanks to the passage of time and the value of the cars, there exist today a number of restoration shops that either specialize in GT40s almost exclusively or have done extensive work on them as part of their broader repertoire. There is no part from the original cars that isn’t available today, in some cases from manufacturers of high-quality clones and continuation cars.
The heart and soul of any historic car—it’s unique and original identity—is the chassis, or "tub." In contrast to many other competition GT40s, GT40 #P1040 not only still has its original chassis, but that chassis is in relatively good condition. While there was some surface rust over the entire chassis prior to the recent bead blasting, there were no areas that were rotted out and therefore needed replacement. There are a number of minor irregularities in the tub: (1) a small difference in the dimension of the left and right wheel bases, due to the run off into a sand bank at Le Mans ’66, that can be readily corrected through the use of a chassis jig; (2) the rear roll hoop was displaced upwards when the car was lifted off the track by a crane at Monza ’67 after the fire; this does not affect the structural integrity of the car and could very well be left as is as a "battle scar" from the car’s glory days in European competition (as the doors have been fiddled to match the increased roof height; however, as part of a comprehensive restoration, correction of the roof height would be a minor element; (3) the battery was at some point relocated from the cabin (standard location for race coupes) to a "box" cut into the left rear of the tub; (4) the bottom panels of the tub are somewhat beat up, but new panels to original specification from Bob Ash are supplied, as are new side pod skins.
Due to the severity of the fire at Monza ’67, the engine and transaxle originally installed in the car by FAV in 1966 were replaced with other GT40 units, as were the fiberglass body sections. All major parts and assemblies on the entire car are original GT40 parts, as are the Halibrand. Note that no windshield or plastic side or rear windows are presently with the car, and that the latches for the bodywork are not original.
Although its racing career was brief, P1040 is regarded by Ronnie Spain as a rare and historically significant factory Le Mans car, and it is to this specification that an authentic and rigorous restoration should likely be directed. However, other approaches to the restoration could also be taken, such as a less historically rigorous rebuild that perhaps would utilize elements of later GT40 configurations (larger flares, wider rims, and larger brake disks and calipers), or a very expansive approach using modern engines (Ford SVO, for example), brake systems, and shocks. The end result of any of these approaches will be an exciting racecar with very high levels of performance, and also one of the most aesthetically beautiful. A summary of costs for a total restoration is attached for your reference.
Terms for Outright Purchase
$300,000 for: ( the bare chassis (tub)
( all parts and assemblies that were removed from the tub when the car was disassembled from its running/operable condition; these include all body panels and doors; suspension uprights and components; half shafts; 289 c.i. motor; Weber 48IDA carburetors; ZF5DS25 transaxle; Girling brake calipers and rotors; Halibrand rims; seats; radiator; instruments; pedal box/pedals; steering wheel
( new tub floor pans and side pod panels from FAV Co.
( new wiring harness from FAV Co.
Terms for Shared Ownership
$250,000 for 1/2 interest in totally restored car, done to the highest standards. In the world of corporate or private planes, the concept of shared ownership has been utilized for many years as a method to convey virtually all the practical benefits of ownership while significantly reducing the initial capital investment and subsequent operating and maintenance costs. This concept would seem to be quite applicable to a limited-use car such as the GT40.
Without getting into great detail at this point, the administrative and legal arrangements for shared ownership would be straightforward and could be accomplished through a number of different approaches (patterned after a flying club, for example, or a close-held corporation that might yield some tax advantages to its owners). Logistics could also work in a number of ways, such as each owner getting possession of the car for their fractional ownership part of one year, or keeping the car at a shop that would also be responsible for its maintenance. Use by more than one owner at a race or meet is certainly feasible. Transporting the car from owner to owner and to meets can be readily hired out, as can maintenance and race support.
It is emphasized that the amounts quoted above are for a fractional ownership interest in a fully restored car. The new owners will incur no additional expenses for the restoration, and an escrow account could be set up to ensure that an appropriate share of each owner’s capital investment was dedicated solely to the restoration. Restoration could begin immediately upon finalization of a comprehensive plan that specifies work and costs and will be done to the highest standard.