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anything I could have imagined. A line
of special cars is always placed on the
water side of temporary white plastic
chain links, stretching nearly the
length of the show field. Past shows
have displayed the best of the best of
various makes and classes, but noth-
ing like this. I have never been a fan
of one-marque displays but looking at
those seventeen cars, that share much
the same silhouette, was a game
changer for me.
There were years when Ferrari
took the stage, when previous show
winners were in the foreground of the
Monterey Bay; when Cobras (in 2012)
and GT350s (2015) filled a class it was
one thing. But to see a line of the most
historically significant GT40s, repre-
senting the various models of their
brief and evolutionary history, all re-
stored to concours condition was some-
thing else entirely.
These cars, like no other, with
their shapes, colors, and livery could
grace any Concours, even if they had
no history. But they do. They are
champion race cars, each one winning
a significant victory. And they are ele-
gant. They make a wonderful display.
To read about these cars and the
events that led to their creation would
be to begin a thousand-page historic
novel. Go, instead, to the epilogue
where the most significant examples
are assembled fifty years after their
first win at LeMans. And where the
heirs of the Ford family present the
awards, and they face and wave to
Dan Gurney, legendary LeMans co-
winner who drove one of the cars that
was there, as he sat on the patio over-
looking the awards presentation.
I’m just a guy with my own inter-
ests, taste and bias. For me, nothing
I’ve ever seen at Pebble can or will
compare with that line of GT40s along
the waterfront. Add to that the Ford
heirs presenting awards to the owners
on the ramp, with Dan Gurney watch-
ing from the deck. It just does not get
more memorable than that. It was
surely the capstone to the history of
the GT40. A history that took only a
few years to make, but which has mar-
inated for five decades to produce
something we shall not see again in
our lifetimes.
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 25
GT/109. Dana and Patti Mecum, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin.
One of five GT40 spyders
built, this is one of two steel-bodied prototypes. The only roadster to have race history,
driven at LeMans by Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier. It was shipped back to Shelby
American and the roadster project was shelved in order to concentrate on coupes. Used
for testing until it was spotted in Shelby American’s warehouse and purchased by cus-
tom builder/painter Dean Jefferies until 2013.
P/1015. Greg Miller, Sandy, Utah.
MK II, driven by Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby to victory
at Daytona. Finished 2nd at LeMans by Ken Miles/Dennis Hulme in the famous 1-2-3
finish in 1966. Raced at Daytona the following year (DNF) and at LeMans, where it
crashed in 1967. Put into storage at Holman-Moody.
P/1031-P/1047. The Revs Institute for Automotive Research, Naples, Florida.
MK
II, driven by Dan Gurney at Sebring in 1966. Raced at LeMans and then upgraded to
MK II-B specifications for 1967. Raced at Daytona, Sebring and LeMans. Ford renum-
bered the car to P/1047 and it finished 1st at Reims. Retired after racing in 1967 and
preserved ever since.
P/1016. Claude and Sylvie Nahum, Founex, Switzerland.
MK II. Driven by Richie
Ginther and Ronnie Bucknum at Daytona in 1966 and A.J. Foyt and Bucknum at Se-
bring. It was prepared by Holman-Moody and entered at Lemans, driven by Bucknum
and Dick Hutcherson where it finished 3rd . After a promotional tour it was donated to
the Harrah Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada where it resided for many years.