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The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 13
50 YEARS LATER the COMSTOCK GT40 MYSTERY CONTINUES
P/1000 was one of two Comstock
team GT40s that were raced at Se-
bring on March 26, 1966. On the 83rd
lap, Canadian driver Bob McLean ex-
perienced a seized transmission, lock-
ing up the rear wheels. The car left the
track, went onto a service road, barrel-
rolled and hit a telephone pole. This
ruptured the fuel tank which ex-
ploded. McLean was trapped in the car
and died.
What was left of the car was towed
to the town garage. Any useable parts
were said to have been removed and
what remained was buried, under the
observation of the local sheriff, on a
piece of land owned by the Sebring De-
partment of Public Works.
Shortly thereafter, stories refuting
this began to circulate, citing Customs
difficulties the Comstock team would
have returning to Canada with one
less car. Customs officials were said to
be inflexible and Comstock would
have had to pay duty on the “sale” of
“missing” the car. Overlooked, how-
ever, was the fact that Sebring author-
When values of GT40s began to
take off years later, stories like this
one sparked interest in attempting to
“discover” derelict or abandoned cars.
The equipment operator was found
and contacted but he reportedly re-
fused to admit anything. He was said
to be worried that his actions may
have broken environmental or proce-
dural laws. Again, it was a specious ar-
gument because environmental laws
back in 1966 were nowhere near as
strict as they are now.
About ten years after the accident
a building was constructed on the site
of the “burial,” so the crushed GT40
was said to have been dug up and the
rusty remains were taken to a scrap
yard. They were later reportedly pur-
chased for parts by someone in Miami,
but again, this was hearsay.
It is not unimaginable that an en-
tirely new car could have been built,
using the P/1000 serial number, with
or without some thin shred of owner-
ship documentation. Based on what
may have happened to the original car
(crushed, buried, dug up and
scrapped) it’s not likely someone pre-
senting a finished car, today, would
worry about the “original” ever show-
ing up. SAAC’s GT40 Registrar, Greg
Kolasa, presently has no documenta-
tion or evidence of a car carrying the
serial number P/1000, so this has to be
considered a mystery that remains un-
solved.
ities could likely have provided writ-
ten certification acceptable to Cus-
toms that would have documented the
legal disposal of the wrecked car. The
customs justification was a thin
thread to refute the bulldozing expla-
nation.