1966 Ford GT40

The GT40 was developed by Ford to beat Ferrari and win the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans - and, on its second attempt in 1966, a GT40 did just that. Privateer racing team owner Alan Mann was involved with two versions of the GT40: the small block 4.7-liter MK I, and the big block 7-liter MK II, the car that won Le Mans in 1966.

This GT40 is one of five cars built for Alan Mann by Abbey Panels and is one of two aluminum-bodied cars built on the GT40 MK1 chassis with Ford's 4.7-liter V8 engine. This 'Lightweight' was known as AM GT-1 and was the first of five chassis supplied by Abbey Panels. The first two cars (AM GT-1 and AM GT-2) were completed with the standard '289' engine and the other three (XGT-1, XGT-2, and XGT-3) were sent to Shelby for completion as MK IIs. AM GT-1 was entered in the Le Man's test days in 1966 and posted the fourth-fastest time. Ford ordered Mann to abandon the lightweights in favor of its big-block GT40s.

This car was driven by Sir John Whitmore and Frank Gardner at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and today it is the only aluminum-bodied MKI to survive intact. This car became famous after it was featured on the covers of several magazines at the time of the 1966 Le Mans race.

Alan Mann Racing Ltd. of Byfleet, Surrey began developing its own version of the GT40 in the fall of 1965. Up to this point, the GT40 had been built exclusively by Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough, England. In November, Alan Mann Racing took delivery of two GT40 MK Is, chassis 1019 and 1023, and following testing and evaluation, determined they could be made significantly faster through weight reduction and improved handling. Five additional chassis were ordered directly from Abbey Panels, which incorporated over a hundred modifications to the standard GT40 tub.

The purpose-built Alan Mann GT40 tubs were given 'AMGT40' serial numbers, distinguishing them from the standard Ford sequence. Unique modifications incorporated into the chassis were a lightweight aluminum upper-superstructure, built-in crossover fuel system, and additional suspension pickup points. Additional modifications performed by Alan Mann included less anti-squat at the rear, less anti-drive up front, lower roll centers, and adjustable castor.

The first two Alan Mann prototype Lightweight models received chassis numbers AM GT-1 and AM GT-2. The remaining three tubs were later built up by Shelby American into Mk IIs numbered XGT-1 through XGT-3.

AM GT-1 and AM GT-2 were completed in March of 1966 and finished in Alan Mann's livery of Ford Monaco Red with gold stripes. They made their racing debut at that year's 12 Hour of Sebring where AM GT-1 was driven by John Whitmore and Frank Gardner, while AM GT-2 was driven by Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart. Since both cars were similarly styled, AM GT-1 received additional white splashes on the nose and tail to help distinguish the two vehicles on the track. AM GT-2 qualified in third place and AM GT-1 qualified 7th. During the race, AM GT-1 ran as high as 5th place but was forced to retire in the ninth hour due to clutch problems.

Both Alan Mann GT40s were brought to the Le Mans test weekend held on April 2nd and 3rd of 1966. AM GT-2 and GT-1 qualified 3rd and 4th respectively, setting times that were bettered only by one GT40 Mk II and Ford's experimental J-car.

While Alan Mann's strategy had been focusing on weight reduction, Ford's strategy was to go big with a new seven-liter version which immediately rendered the two Alan Mann GTs obsolete. Soon, both cars had been sold with AM GT-1 going to Holman & Moody and AM GT-2 was sold to Australian racer Paul Hawkins, who went on to campaign it with great success through 1968.

Holman & Moody converted AM GT-1 into experimental Mk IIB specification, including the installation of a Weber-carbureted 427 engine, automatic transmission, and full roll cage. In this guise, it was tested at Daytona in 1966, and it may have also been sent to LeMans as a backup car. The car returned to its original drivetrain configuration later in the year and was sold in 1967 to Firestone Tire and Rubber Company for use in high-speed testing. Its next owner was Buck Fulp of Anderson, South Carolina, who kept the car for a short time before selling it back to Holman & Moody.

In 1969, the car was acquired by Douglas Champlin and had local mechanic Carter Maxwell set up the GT40 for street use, install air-conditioning and a full leather interior. Mr. Champlin's son later took the car on a joy ride but soon lost control and crashed it into an earthen embankment. While neither driver nor passenger was hurt, the GT40 had suffered considerable damage.

Instead of repairing the car, Mr. Champlin sold the car to a local dentist named Edwin Recknagel. In 1979, it was sold to Larry Zane who exchanged GT350 R parts in exchange for the GT40. The current owner acquired the car in 1982. In 2004, a concours-quality restoration commenced with the work entrusted to Robert Ash of Norcross, Georgia. It was brought back to its original Le Mans test days configuration, as it had last raced in April 1966. The work took fifteen years to complete, addressing all cosmetic and mechanical elements. It made its post-restoration debut at the 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it earned Second in Class in the Postwar Sports and Racing Class. Later that year, it captured a Platinum Pick Judges Choice Award at the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals in Chicago, receiving the highest point score (999 of 1,000) of any car in the event's 11-year history. In 2020, it was exhibited at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and the Indiana SAAC's Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals, where it received a special Le Mans Award.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021