1968 Ford GT40 Competition Coupe

This 1968 Ford GT40 Competition Coupe has chassis number GT40P/1073 and was first owned by racing privateer Terry Drury from Rainham, Essex. Drury had been racing chassis number 1005 and in the winter of 1967-1968, was able to purchase this example from JW Automotive Engineering Limited of Slough, Buckinghamshire. The vehicle was purchased as a bare GT40 monocoque chassis plus components. The car was assembled by Drury to his racing specifications. The car was given a tail body section with a design that was taken from a Paul Hawkins mould. Mounted mid-ship was a Ford 289 cubic-inch V8 engine with Weslake heads and Tecalemit-Jackson fuel injection. There engine was mated to a ZF gearbox. The exterior of the car was finished in an 'orangey-gold colour.'

The car made its racing debut on April 7th of 1968 at the British BOAC '500' World Championship. The car was driven by Keith Holland during the first part of the race, until he brought it into the pits due to a potential problem with the engine. Drury took over the reigns and determined the car required a plug change. The car was raced for 91 laps before it retired prematurely due to a loss of oil pressure in the engine.

The next race for 1073 was at Monza in the 1000 Kilometers race. For this race, the car had been fitted with 48IDA twin-choke downdraught Weber carburetors and the fuel-injection system was removed. This race was also short for the 1073, as it again experienced mechanical difficulties. The car as spun by Drury and it crashed into a barrier.

The car was rebuilt and repaired and brought to Sicily for the Targa Florio. This time, the newly fabricated body panels were painted in white. The car ran five of the ten laps.

At Nurburgring, driving duties were shared by Drury and Terry Sanger. The car made its first racing finish, and was able to secure a 34th position overall. A week later, the car was competing at Spa in torrential rain. The car performed magnificently for twelve laps before a clutch failure side-lined the car for the day. All of the twelve laps had been driven by Drury.

In June, the car was sold to Ron Fry who added the car to his magnificent collection of racing pedigree. The purchase was intended for club-racing, which would undoubtedly overwhelm the rest of the racing field. The car was repainted in red and brought to the Castle Combe aerodrome circuit on July 13th of 1968. It easily finished ahead of the competition. A month later, it was driven to a 2nd place finish at Thruxton. On August 31st, the car finished in 1st place at Silverstone. At Brands Hatch, the car was overturned and required a rebuild.

Fry purchased a new chassis JW Automotive and began the task of rebuilding the car. Before it could be completed, he had been persuaded by his family to retire from racing. The chassis was sold to Karl Davis of Bristol who kept the vehicle in unassembled form. The car components and two chassis changed hands a few times before coming into the possession of Bryan Prynn. Suspension components from chassis number 1006 were used. Once completed, the car was painted orange and black and fitted with wide alloy wheels. The tail section of the body had been widened to accommodate these larger wheels. The car was registered for road use and later sold to Glynis Childs in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Childs used the car in 1970 and 1971 in sprint and hill climb competition. After 1971, it was stored until 1979 when it was sold to Martin Johnson in Newton-le-Willows. Under Johnson's care, the car was used sparingly. In 1982, it was sold to George Stauffer who commissioned a two-year restoration. During the restoration, the car was traded with Nick Soprano who took delivery after the restoration. Possession of the car was later passed to the Rosso Bianco Collection.

This car was offered for sale at the 2006 Bonhams & Butterfields auction held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California where it was estimated to sell between $700,000 - $900,000. Sadly, a buyer was not found and the car left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2007