The car for the movie
11/17/2019
So you've seen the movie "Le Mans 66 " ("Ford v Ferrari") and admired the fast Ford GT40. And now you'd like to have one too.
But the originals have become quite expensive over the decades. Original racing cars only change hands for just under eight-figure sums; a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II was worth EUR 8.4 million (CHF 9.7 million) to the buyer at the RM/Sotheby's auction in Monterey on August 24, 2019.
But there are more or less good replicas and recreations. Some of them, produced by Superperformance, were also used in the film "Le Mans 66" and two of them bore the livery as Ken Miles drove them in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
And one of these two GT40s will be auctioned by Mecum in January 2020 . According to the auction house, Christian Bale, who plays Ken Miles in the film, actually drove the car during filming. The engine is a Roush 427IR V-8 with fuel injection. A five-speed gearbox transmits the power to the rear axle.
The interior with Smith's instruments and right-hand drive looks quite authentic, as do the Motolita steering wheel and the wheels modeled on the Halibrand rims.
Mecum has not (yet) given an estimated value, but the movie car is certainly not going to be cheap. And it's not entirely clear whether it will be street legal in this country. But this car would certainly be attractive, and the sight of it alone is enough to get the adrenaline pumping.
A ride in a GT40 is definitely one of the things I would like to do in my life ...
