Spyder GT40
- Thread starter Rich_A
- Start date
Ford GT Roadster
Just to stop all confusion. There were five built roadsters. One roadster chassis not used (?)
1) GT108 Was built but never raced
2) GT109 White Number 15 Le Mans 1965 retired within the first hour with transmission failure.
Now we are getting confused
In Ronnie Spains book two chassis were made at the same time GT110
He calls them GT110 and GT110A as the second chassis was not numbered. These were experimental Roadster Aluminium chassis built by Abbey Pannels.
3) GT110 Became the Can Am X1 racing with the full Le Mans nose from the 1965 427 Le Mans Ford GT MKII. It was later strengthened and brought up to MKII specs as the X1 MKII roadster in 1966. With Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby at the wheel it won the Sebring 12 hours. The chassis was finally destroyed in 1970 to satisfy the customs men.
3a) GT110A was never used. It was still around as a bare chassis in the mid 80's in the USA.
4) GT111 It was at the 1965 Le Mans Trails (as number 7 ?) It ran at the Targa Florio in Liinden (Pale) green (number 194) where it crashed. It was supposed to stripped of all usuable parts and scrapped at Slough? This was the car at Goodwood Revival 2007 I have got a picture of Sir John Whitmore sitting in it.
5) GT112 was the Roadster with a roof fitted and known as a P40. It was converted back into a standard GT40 and is still in its Orange and special trim.
Regards Allan
Just to stop all confusion. There were five built roadsters. One roadster chassis not used (?)
1) GT108 Was built but never raced
2) GT109 White Number 15 Le Mans 1965 retired within the first hour with transmission failure.
Now we are getting confused
In Ronnie Spains book two chassis were made at the same time GT110
He calls them GT110 and GT110A as the second chassis was not numbered. These were experimental Roadster Aluminium chassis built by Abbey Pannels.
3) GT110 Became the Can Am X1 racing with the full Le Mans nose from the 1965 427 Le Mans Ford GT MKII. It was later strengthened and brought up to MKII specs as the X1 MKII roadster in 1966. With Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby at the wheel it won the Sebring 12 hours. The chassis was finally destroyed in 1970 to satisfy the customs men.
3a) GT110A was never used. It was still around as a bare chassis in the mid 80's in the USA.
4) GT111 It was at the 1965 Le Mans Trails (as number 7 ?) It ran at the Targa Florio in Liinden (Pale) green (number 194) where it crashed. It was supposed to stripped of all usuable parts and scrapped at Slough? This was the car at Goodwood Revival 2007 I have got a picture of Sir John Whitmore sitting in it.
5) GT112 was the Roadster with a roof fitted and known as a P40. It was converted back into a standard GT40 and is still in its Orange and special trim.
Regards Allan
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The Spyder sure has a complicated history and as Mike says was not too strong as a race car. The X-1 was quiet lucky to win the Sebring given the unforseen breakdown of Gurneys MKII so near the end. However it did contribute to Fords decision on the deadheat at Le Mans 1966 which effectively denied Ken Miles being the first driver to win Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring in the same season.
Regards Allan
Regards Allan
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Chassis gt111 was exhibited at the NEC Classic car show earlier this month and a few pictures were posted on the forum. Attached is one i have pinched from an earlier thread.
ERA have a replica of the MK2 Roadster and you should have a look at their site which has some pictures. If you do want to replicate a roadster that is probably as close as you will get.
ERA have a replica of the MK2 Roadster and you should have a look at their site which has some pictures. If you do want to replicate a roadster that is probably as close as you will get.
Attachments
Chassis 110 (X-1) in both forms
Ford GT40 X1 - Supercars.net
Ford GT40 X1 - Supercars.net
One thing being an anorak like I am is that the Roadster and X-1 (1965) were never offically designated as Ford GT40. As far as I can tell when the GT40 production run started the car were then offically called Ford GT40. But this was not until the definative nose first used on P1006 at Le Mans 1965. The first production car to be assigned this name (not the first numbered) was delivered in May 1965. So with hindsight you could also call the car a MK1 but at the time it would not have been called this since no one had a crystal ball or could see the future. In the same way the original race program and the first twelve prototype chassis were known on by the prefix GT.
So people now calling them GT40's and even some of the press at the time were wrong. There is documentation that GT40 was mention in the final Prototypes chassis paperwork GT112. Incidentially my crusade on this is out of curiosity rather than a witch hunt. And I would gladly bow to other opinions that have backup evidence. But I kind of agreed to a point with Carrol Shelby's view that especially the early cars up to 1965 were nicknamed GT40 by the press (especially the British).
Regards Allan
So people now calling them GT40's and even some of the press at the time were wrong. There is documentation that GT40 was mention in the final Prototypes chassis paperwork GT112. Incidentially my crusade on this is out of curiosity rather than a witch hunt. And I would gladly bow to other opinions that have backup evidence. But I kind of agreed to a point with Carrol Shelby's view that especially the early cars up to 1965 were nicknamed GT40 by the press (especially the British).
Regards Allan
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