2000 Ford F-250 on 2040-cars

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Preserving automotive history costs big bucks

$1.8 million is spent each year to maintain GM's fleet of 600 production and concept cars.
When at least two of the Detroit Three were on the verge of death a few years back, one of the tough questions that was asked of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler execs - outside of why execs were still taking private planes to meetings - was why each company maintained huge archives of old production and concept vehicles. GM, for example, had an 1,100-vehicle collection when talk of a federal bailout began.

1964 Ford GT40 prototype sells for $7M

Seven-figure Ferraris are not horribly rare. Heck, an eight-figure Ferrari isn't a rare occurrence. Between modern masterpieces like the Enzo and more classic offerings, cracking the million-dollar mark isn't a particularly tall order for the cars from Maranello. For a Ford, though, it's a big deal.
Now, this is not just some rare Mustang. This is a GT40, the car that Henry Ford II commissioned to whip Enzo Ferrari around a track in France. As far as the Le Mans-winning racers go, they don't get much rarer than this one. Sold at the Mecum Auctions in Houston, this is one of the prototypes, meaning it's one of the very first GT40s ever built. That makes its $7 million winning a bid, a record for on-air coverage of the auction, a pretty darn impressive figure.
You can watch the auction below, but first, take a look back at our original story on this rare Blue Oval.

2014 Holman & Moody 50th Anniversary TdF Ford Mustang

If you're a fan of Ford racing history, a Mustang worshiper or even just an avid follower of our yearly SEMA coverage, you may have heard the back story on the Race Red Mustang you see above. Back in 1964, Holman & Moody was tapped by the English Alan Mann Racing Team to race-prep three Mustangs for competition in the incredibly arduous 4,000-mile Tour de France Automobile rally. Competing mainly against Jaguar MkII saloons over 10 days and 17 stages, the H&M Mustangs took the top two places in the Touring class and the first-ever racing win for Ford's pony car.
Though the history of that first Mustang win hasn't been incredibly well known here in the States, the subsequent decades have seen plenty of racy versions of the car come and go. Last year at the SEMA show, we covered the brief debut of this living tribute to that piece of racing lore, the Holman & Moody 50th Anniversary TdF Mustang.
This limited-edition Mustang represents a kind of new venture for H&M, as the legendary racing shop has spent the last few decades earning its keep largely by restoring vintage racing cars. The urge to get back into the world of Ford and Mustang was powerful, however, what with the car's 50th anniversary looming and the current generation of 'Stang just about out the door.