Le Mans-winning GT40 earns 'Restoration of the Year' award

December 12, 2016 by RK Motors

• RK Motors Wins 'Restoration of the Year' Honors at International Historic Motoring Awards

• Award Culminates 20-month Restoration of Iconic GT40 That Took Checkered Flag at Le Mans in 1966

CHARLOTTE —RK Motors Charlotte today announced it has earned 'Restoration of the Year' honors at the prestigious 2016 International Historic Motoring Awards, which recognized the painstaking 20-month restoration of P/1046, the iconic GT40 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Launched in 2011, the awards recognize and celebrate the skills and achievements of the worldwide historic motoring industry. The event comprises 14 award categories, which are judged by an international panel of experts.

Almost 4,000 man-hours were spent on the race car's restoration over a period of nearly 20 months, and no detail was spared, including the hastily painted #2 on the hood with identical dripping paint and the unequal length exhaust pipes at the rear; both characteristics of the original build. That painstaking restoration by Kingston, NH-based Rare Drive has been chronicled in a seven-part video series, accessible at http://gt40.rkmotorscharlotte.com/.

The GT40 is a testament to stalwart and ingenious engineering and is first American-built car to win endurance racing's most prestigious competition, which had always been dominated by Ferrari. Developed by legendary car builder and racer Carroll Shelby, chassis P/1046 carved its niche in racing history as the first of three GT40s to take the checkered flag and earn podium finishes at the 1966 Le Mans race besting Ferrari in the #1, #2, and #3 winning positions. The 1966 race continues to rank as one of the closest finishes in Le Mans history.

'When we acquired P/1046 and set out to fully restore this legendary racecar, our intent was to be able to share it with the international motorsports community and car lovers everywhere,' said Joseph Carroll, President of RK Motors Charlotte. 'This prestigious international award is a fitting culmination to the restoration, and helps set the stage for P/1046 to serve as the centerpiece of the RK Collection here in Charlotte. We invite everyone to come see this historic racecar, as well as others in this very special collection.'

About RK Motors Charlotte

RK Motors Charlotte is the nation's premier dealer of classic, muscle and high-performance cars. RK Motors' state-of-the-art, 60,000 square foot, east coast showroom has become a global destination for car lovers. Hot Rod magazine named RK Motors the nation's #1 'must see' destination for gearheads and enthusiasts.