eBay Find of the Day: Mk1 Ford GT40 with interesting history

Sat, 03 May 2014

You might expect a rare Ford GT40 to cross the block at some sort of prestigious auto auction from RM or Gooding, not show up on eBay for over $2 million. However, that's exactly what we have here. The seller claims the car is a late-build Mk1 GT40 from 1969, and it's currently owned by the director of the Hublot watch company in Switzerland.

According to the listing, GT40 #P1108 started life as Mk1 car that was built from factory spares in 1969 and was first sold in 1971. However, the auction is somewhat confusing. According to an image in its gallery, the vehicle was actually built from one of the seven spare Mk3 tubs when production of the iconic racers ended.

This GT40 was never built as a racecar – it lived on the streets its whole life. After assembly finished, it was sent to Germany and was eventually registered for the road. The first owner kept the car until 2005 and sold it with 7,300 miles on the odometer. The current owner bought it in 2012.

Regardless of provenance, this beautiful GT40 packs a 289 cubic-inch (4.7-liter) Ford V8 with Weber downdraft carbs and a ZF five-speed transmission. The auction includes two sets of wheels and two seats, including the original, vented racing seat. According to the seller, the car is currently in Switzerland and is clear for import into the UK and Germany. Although, with enough paperwork you could likely ship it anywhere.

The auction sits at $2,250,000 with no bids and no reserve, and it's hard to imagine dropping that much dough based on a few pictures and an auction description. Still, it's almost a bargain compared to the GT40 prototype that sold for $7 million at auction in Texas recently.

By Chris Bruce