Rare Ford GT40 Roadster in RM Monterey auction

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The Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype was the first of four roadsters built | RM Auctions
The Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype was the first of four roadsters built | RM Auctions
The Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype was the first of four roadsters built | RM Auctions

Probably the most famous American race car ever, the Ford GT40 is famed both for beating Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s and for its soaring value today as one of the worldā€™s most-coveted collector cars.

TheĀ 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype, chassis GT/108, that RM Auctions has announced for its Monterey sale in August, is also one of the most significant survivors of the legendary brand. One of just a few prototypes ever built, and the first of just four GT40 roadsters, GT/108 served as a demonstration car for Ford and Shelby American during 1965, when it was piloted by a number of famous drivers, including the performance maestro Carroll Shelby.

Carroll Shelby was among the carā€™s famous drivers | RM Auctions
Carroll Shelby was among the carā€™s famous drivers | RM Auctions

The iconic mid-engine sports car, so named because of its 40-inch roof height, is also in excellent original condition, according to RM, and fully documented with limited long-term ownership after its year as an exhibition and demonstration car. The Monterey appearance will mark the first time the car has ever been offered at auction.

According to John S. Allen in his book,Ā GT40: The Legend Lives On, ā€œPrototype GT/108 is currently the only intact example of the marque still to carry the correct 1965-style nose and the low tail section unique to roadsters. (Further) 108 is the only roadster, or ā€˜spyder,ā€™ to remain in as-built condition.ā€

RM Auction has not placed an estimated value on the GT40 Roadster Prototype, but according to the Hagerty Insurance Cars That Matter price guide, a 1965 GT40 Roadster Prototype in excellent condition is valued between $6.5 million and $8 million.

ā€œFord and Ferrari were at the center of one of the most intense feuds in international motorsport,ā€ said Shelby Myers, car specialist for RM Auctions, in a news release. ā€œThe GT40 of the 1960s was the result of Henry Ford IIā€™s declaration of war on Ferrari after a failed buyout; if he couldnā€™t own the small Modenese sports-car outfit, he vowed to beat them on the trackā€¦no matter what the cost.

ā€œGT/108 is very special, as it is one of the early prototype cars. It is the first roadster version and certainly one of the most important of the twelve prototype cars built, as it was Ford and Shelbyā€™s factory development car, driven by Carroll Shelby himself.ā€

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.