Re: Why are there two P1009\'s ??
BILL: I am the owner of original GT40 race coupe #P1040, the "wreck" that you so kindly referred to as the GT40 that you saw at SAAC-25 at Lime Rock in Year 2000. Yes, the tub was indeed stuffed into the bed of a pickup truck (which was an automotive Pied Piper, as we were trailed by a growing throng of the curious when we rolled into Lime Rock late in the evening before the convention's first day). And yes, the tub was quite well covered in surface rust, as it was bead blasted in 1989 but otherwise left untreated during its storage in my garage (it was never outdoors except at the convention). And yes, it did look like a worthless rusted heap--to the casual or unknowledgable observer. However, a closer examination, as the car has been given numerous times by Ronnie Spain, Jeff Sime, Bill Wonder, Peter Thorp, Bob Ash, and other GT40 experts, would have shown that the tub is a rare commodity: dead original. As opposed to many GT40 race coupes (as well as road cars) that have had major sections replaced (sometimes to the extent of the majority of the chassis) due to severe accidents and/or terminal corrosion, this tub is as it left FAV in February 1966 except for the battle scars/kinks/holes of its racing career. While I don't mean to minimize the significance of these irregularities and certainly do not contend that the chassis is pristine and unmolested, correcting the problems does not require the kind of wholesale reconstruction that so many original GT40s have been subjected to. Certanly there is no comparison with car's like #P1005 that was the original subject of this thread. I have some photos of the pile of weeds, mud, and rusted metal that was apparently the "1005" that was purchased at the auction of the Walther warehouse contents that is unrecognizable as a car. Regarding two cars with the same chassis number, this is in fact the case, as I explained in previous posts under this thread. One is the original Scuderia Filipinetti team GT40 #P1040 (mine), as every GT40 reference book that I am aware of with information on specific chassis numbers states. The other is a "Sbarro GT40" that the constructor and owner have unfortunately elected to masquerade as an original. This charade may not have that much more life in it. Although I don't specifically recall which of the GT40s that George Stauffer brought to SAAC-25 was for sale, it was likely either #P1083, a Mk I with no European racing history, or a Mk III. As has often been discussed on this site, there is little to distinguish one original GT40 from another except for its history. The "better" the history--"better" usually referring to the number and importance of races, the prestige of the owners and/or drivers, etc.--the greater the value of the car. A guitar that I've plunked isn't worth very much at all, but if it was cradled in the hands of Clapton, it's value soars. While somewhat brief (three races over two years), my car's racing history was at the "major league" level of the most significant European road races, includes the ultimate road race (Le Mans), ownership by a legendary race team (Scuderia Filipinetti), direct factory support by Ford, and special modifications made only to a very few Ford-supported cars for the '66 Le Mans race. Bill, you should have been more diligent in looking for me at SAAC-25, although I did spend most of my time right next to my GT40 and 427 S/C Cobra. You might have gotten a good deal on the car! Luckily (in retrospect) for me, everyone else at SAAC-25 agreed with your thinking on the value of my GT40 and didn't come within a country mlle of what I wanted for it, so I hit my quarter century anniversary of its ownership a few months ago. Look for info on its restoration on this site in the coming months.