A classic sports car has become one of the most expensive Fords ever sold in the UK after a buyer paid “multiple millions” for it.
The classic Ford GT40 was built to take on Ferrari in motorsport after Henry Ford famously fell out with Enzo Ferrari.
And this particular 1965 Mark 1 model was the first Ford GT40 to win a race in Europe when it picked up victory at Magny-Cours.
Despite its raw motorsport pedigree, the thoroughbred race car is entirely road legal and has been owned by the same British motorist for the past 30 years.
It was sold today by Fiskens – the ultra-exclusive dealer which only markets cars of impeccable quality and history.
James Mitchell, from Fiskens, described the car as “one of the most original of all the GT40s”.
He said: “It was the first model to win in France and it also won its class in the Targa Florio.
“The original condition increases its appeal. There is a real honesty about it. Historically, this is a very important car.”
Fiskens refuses to publicly reveal the price of its models, but Mr Mitchell confirmed the Ford sold for a figure in the “multiple millions”.
At two recent auctions in the USA, a Ford GT40 sold for £3 million while another used by Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans fetched £6.7 million.
The motor – known as GT40 P/1003 – was one of the earliest of the GT40s when it left the Ford Advanced Vehicles’ studio in Slough, Berkshire.
Measuring just 40-inches high, the ultra-sleek sports car was powered by a 4.7-litre engine developing 380bhp.
Weighing less than one-tonne, it was capable of a top speed approaching 200mph – an incredible feat back in 1965.
In the hands of future Formula One constructor Guy Ligier, the sports car was the first GT40 to claim a victory in Europe.
It ran under the Ford France banner for Ligier through the 1965 and 1966 seasons before passing on to Jean-Michel Giorgi, who continued to race it as a Ford France car.
