A true gem stood out at the Mecum Auctions Indy event in mid-May: a rare 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype.
It is one of only 12 GT prototypes built by Ford between January 1964 and April 1965, and just 5 of those were convertibles.
Most notably, this is the only GT Roadster to have ever competed in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, almost certainly solidifying its position as one of the most valuable Fords in existence.
The Ultra-Rare Ford GT40 Roadster Race Car Heads to Auction
This particular model, known as GT/109, was delivered to Shelby in March 1965 for final preparations before the big race.
Shelby’s team made some significant upgrades in preparation for Le Mans, including a fresh coat of white paint combined with dark blue accents. It was one of five Ford GTs that raced at Le Mans in 1965, fitted with a standard Cobra 289-cubic-inch V8 engine and a 5-speed ZF manual transmission.
French drivers Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier piloted the car at Le Mans, but it retired after the 11th hour due to transmission failure. It was then sent back to Shelby American for rebuilding and, a few years later, was acquired by California-based custom car builder Dean Jeffries. Mecum Auctions founder, Dana Mecum, purchased the car from Jeffries’ son in 2013 and had it restored once again.
Interestingly, this is the third time that Dana Mecum has attempted to sell the car through his popular platform. In 2018, the car was entered into Mecum’s Kissimmee auction but failed to sell.
In 2020, Mecum tried again, expecting it to fetch between $7.5 million and $10 million. It seems that this attempt was also unsuccessful. Will the third time be the charm?
The only other surviving GT40 Roadster prototype, GT/108, sold for $7.65 million at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction in 2019. Let’s see if GT/109 can bring in a similar or even higher figure.
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