New GT40 for sale

[Rhino]

This article was in the Daily Telegraph Anyone interested?
Battered Ford's motors go under the hammer

THESE are straitened times indeed at Ford, which is losing about £9m a day. Top executives now travel economy class, biscuits are banned at meetings, the Berkeley Square offices of its Premier Automotive Group are up for sale and now the company is selling the family silver.

Christie's New York office will auction 51 Ford concept cars in Detroit on June 16 - an almost unheard-of sale of unique cars. Most companies spend millions tracking down their concept cars, restoring them and exhibiting them in museums, not selling them.

Included in sale are concepts for the Lagonda Vignale tourer, the revamped Ford Thunderbird - an American bestseller - and the revamped GT40 seen at the Detroit Show this January.

Enthusiasts may be torn between attending the desperate auction and the Le Mans 24-hours race, which takes place the same weekend.

In better times, three and a half decades ago, the Ford GT40 won this race four times in a row.

[Lee Janotta]

Probably gonna be a lot of bidders in the paddock and hospitality suites at LeMans bidding on their cell phones.

Poor Ford... But, they made their bed, they've got to sleep in it. It's their employees I feel bad for, and the easily expendable elements of the company like Cosworth and the rest of the racing program, especially the developing drivers they support.

Should definitly cut Irvine loose at Jag and replace him with Justin Wilson, that'd save millions right away!

[Osella]

Not entirely unheard of, selling off concept cars, Pininfarina has done it before... witness the 4-door Lancia Gamma double-parked up the road!
A friend of a friend, who has audited Ford, says they don't make a profit on cars, only on finance packages. He confidently predicts that they won't make cars themselves in 10 years time.

Sacking Eddie Irvine would save time as well as money.

Sorry bit off message here guys.
Let's hope they get it together to sell some GT40 racecars!

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by Lee Janotta
Poor Ford... But, they made their bed...

Bed-Ford?

[Chofar]

Anyway that poor car wasn't a very original idea. Using fan's nostalgia instead of trying a real racing policy.

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by Chofar
Anyway that poor car wasn't a very original idea. Using fan's nostalgia instead of trying a real racing policy.

Nice to know I'm not alone with my opinion about that car; everybody else seems so keen on seeing it back on track...

[Lee Janotta]

They've already got a GTS entry, the Saleen S7R. No need for another. But I do think the car's pretty damn cool on it's own.

[Dr. Austin]

Originally posted by Chofar
Anyway that poor car wasn't a very original idea. Using fan's nostalgia instead of trying a real racing policy.

You are going to think nostalgia is really cool when you are my age! Young people may think nostalgia is foolish (like i did when i was young), but it is quite different when you are older and you don't like everything changing beyond recognition.

And the new GT40 is almost a completely different car. It is using spaceframe construction, unlike the original's aluminum monocoque. Instead of the 6 and 7 litre behemoths, Ford is settling on a 5-litre supercharged engine. So, it really isn't the same car. It is probably as close as Ford could come to the original car and still get it on the road.


I really like the GT40 and hope Ford can get it to the race track. If Ford were to enter the car in GT competition, the GT40 could maintain it's racing pedigree. If you think there were complaints about the Saleen, wait to you hear the crying about the GT40! For sure, the GT40 would meet all the homologation requirements, allowing it to go head to head with the GT class' best.