Where would you start with a GT40?

Hi All,

I have taken the leap and decided to build my own GT40 but to be honest I am an amatuer> I have a budget of about £45,000 sterling and want to build a great car but where do I start? Any Advice greatly appreciated. By the way I live in Dublin, Ireland if that makes any difference!

Kindest Regards

John (Orca)

 

[Jos]

Read every possible thread here about the skills & tools needed and the merits of various types of car then try to get to see some of them - and then go for it !

 

[StuartB]

To be honest, if I had 45K spare I`d just buy one or have somebody build it for me and save myself a lot of hassle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

You can also check out Rick at Thurxton Sportscars. He offers CAV kits for about 40k for a base kit and for complete kit its about 58k. I also recommend taking a look at Tornado Sports Cars which is at www.tornadosportscars.com. MDA's website is at www.gt40uk.com. I hope this helps.

 

[Howard Jones]

Orca,,, Look at cars!! I think that a trip to one of the GTD club meetings over in England would be a good start. Check with the GTD guys and find out their next date. Also If you get to the East Coast of the USA then you might want to plan a trip to ERA.

Lastly with that much money GET SOMEONE TO DO THE BODYWORK FOR YOU!!!!!

 

I also think a 300 to 400 hp 302 works well. If you want to go over 400 hp the transmission would cost as much as the motor. Also MDA can build factory turnkey minuses. Also I would recommend Engine Factory at www.enginefactory.com. I hope that helps for you.

 

[Brett James-McCall]

Stauart,
I hear what you are saying, but if you have that kind of mind and desire to build yourself, you could do a lot with a car that you would pay out in labour. But it is horses for courses /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Brett

 

[StuartB]

Brett, fair comment mate, but if you were to buy in at, let`s say 25K, (and that should get a pretty tidy motor) you`ve got about 20K left /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Now anyone that can`t turn a tidy 25K GT40 rep` into a real gem with another 20k to spend is doing something very, very wrong.
But then I could be wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

I would recommend a RF deluxe kit. A nicely equipped RF would still fit your budget. A good Engine option is a 350hp 302 and a 5spd Audi 3U 016 box. You will still have money left over. 42,500 pounds is a lot of money to build. The best thing is you can easily go under that with all of the various kits.

hope this helps

 

[Brian Magee]

John
My advice would be to join both of the UK clubs. Come over to the Kit Car show on May 2nd/3rd at Stoneleigh Park where the Enthusiasts Club will have a stand and you will see lots of finished cars and also meet the people who have built them.

As editor of Fortyfication, the quarterly magazine of the GT40 Enthusiasts Club, I would suggest you join this club soon as the magazine which will be sent out in the next two weeks includes a visit by myself and chairman, Eric Smith to all of the current manufacturers in the UK. This should give you a starting point, go and visit them all and then make your decision.

Most of the people who build GT40's are amateurs and this is why the clubs and this forum are so important.

Best of luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Brian.

 

[Robert Logan]

John,

Please contact me directly on [email protected] as I would love to get one of my cars into my homeland.

Best wishes,

Robert

 

[Andrew Fordyce]

Hello John,
Well, I agree with all the above comments about cost, provided you are going to do the work yourself. If you need to pay for labour for someone to put the car together for you then I don't think you have enough budget.

£45K will buy you all the parts you need to build a 400bhp street/track car with a great paint job from a kit. If you want someone else to build it for you, add at least £20k for labour.

A way through this dilemma is to find the right car secondhand, on which money has been spent which the owner will not be able to recoup in a sale situation. This applies to all areas of the classic car market, not just GT 40s.

I suspect that Martin Weigold might be starting to think about selling his car and it sounds like it has the right spec. to meet your requirements. Martin bought it as a very low mileage car from it's builder, Keith Baker, just over a year ago and has spent a lot of money on it since in getting it ready to compete in our Club championship. It is a GTD with all the right bits, replica seats and wheel, monster brakes, rod gearchange, rose jointed rear suspension and a fresh 400bhp 302 which still needs running in. If you think this might be the right route for you, you can see the car (and Martin) at www.gtd40club.co.uk

Happy hunting and I hope to see you at one of our events this year.

Andrew

 

The amounts in my first post are in US Dollars. I was going to edit it but it expired.