Alan, Tim, and a few others feel the same way about GT40s as we do: If you want a modern sports car, you're going to buy a Porsche or Ferrari. But if a GT40 appeals to you, it's because you have a lust for both the performance
and the nostalgia of the original car.
That craving oftentimes leads to a neurotic but unshakeable desire for near-perfect authenticity. And why not? If you're going to have such an iconic car, why not make it as close to the real thing as possible - in both looks and performance?
There are those that scoff at our collective commitment to authenticity. But it's that commitment that drives Pathfinder to replace the OEM seats and build our own - duplicating the originals down to the outer material and even the lining. It's why we offer original-style inspection stickers, builder plates, gauges, switches, wiper arms (no black plastic here), Mk I & II center consoles, and even the original Lucas 608 rear-view mirrors (and believe me, nothing betrays a replica faster to the experienced eye than a black plastic Ford mirror hanging from the windshield):
Do you want this ...
... or this.
Here's another example: We scrounged some original Ford warning plates sometimes found in the Mk I's for the ZF sequential shifter. Cars like P/1008 had these installed to the right of the driver's knee. This is the kind of cool detail that we have only seen on original cars - and Pathfinder 'R' cars. Take a look:
Not every customer wants all of these options, but we highly encourage them. At Pathfinder, we are obsessed about tiny details because our intent is to build a legitimate and competitive racecar
that is also next to impossible to tell from an original GT40R. (And by the way, our cars
race as well as they
look.)
So, to Alan, Tim, and all the others out there striving to build a GT40 that would even fool the Petersen Automotive Museum (no relation, unfortunately), we know how you feel.
I suppose we can either get a 'group buy' for some therapy or just keep on pushing the authenticity envelope.