Mind-bending ex-Alan Mann Ford GT for sale
Late team owner entered two GT40s at Le Mans in 1966. This one-of-one GT bears his squad's old iconic colours
I’ve always thought Ford’s return to Le Mans with the GT in 2016 never received the attention it fully deserved. Here was a car that had been built to the letter of the GTE regs in the hope that a ground-up racer would obliterate the more road-biased opposition such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Aston Martin Vantage and Ferrari 488. Balance of performance meant Ford didn’t exactly walk it, nevertheless the firm bagged victory in GTE Pro on what would have been the 50th anniversary of Ford’s first win at the legendary endurance race with the GT40.
So why is it that the most recent GT - arguably the true spiritual successor to the GT40 - rarely gets the kudos a Le Mans winner deserves? It could be that a class victory, even in the hyper-competitive grid that was GTE Pro, doesn’t carry the same weight as an outright win, or perhaps it’s because Ford’s triumph was completely overshadowed by the leading Toyota breaking down as it entered its final lap - 23 hours and 57 minutes into the race. And while the GT was a hugely impressive piece of engineering, the fact that it was powered by a super-efficient turbo V6 and not a rumbly, thirsty V8 meant it didn’t quite hit all the nostalgia high notes.
Certainly not in the way its predecessor did. The first GT (GT40 aside) did see some racing action, albeit in the hands of privateers and to little success, but it was a world away from the car it paid homage to and the one that succeeded it. Whereas the latest GT and original GT40 were cutting-edge performance cars built with the sole purpose of winning, the 2005 GT was conceived purely for road use - devoid of the sort of compromises that make driving many if not most homologation specials a right chore on the public highway.
Many thought the GT would flop at launch, given its rushed development so that it’d be ready for sale come the company’s centenary, and that the 5.4-litre supercharged V8 was famously plucked from an F-Series truck (although Ford’s Modular engine powered everything from trucks to the era’s Shelby Mustangs). But any reservations were swiftly put to rest after a quick blast, with the GT driving far better than many had expected. So good was the GT that Clarkson famously bought one - though it’s easy to forget just how much he adored the GT given his many, many complaints about the dodgy alarm system.
Despite those public outbursts, the GT is very much a collector’s item these days, and this particular car could be the most sought-after of them all. The glorious GT pictured was originally owned by Alan Mann: the man behind much of Ford’s touring car successes in the 1960s. Mann entered two lightweight GT40s, finished in the team’s iconic red and gold colours, at Le Mans in 1966 as part of Ford’s factory assault. So when GT sales opened in 2005, Mann specced his squad’s old colours, without the centre stripe and the team name inscribed above the skirts.
This might just be the prettiest GT there is, and certainly one of the rarest with what’s believed to be a one-of-one colour scheme. It hasn’t been tucked away in a garage for its entire life, either, with 12,345 miles on the clock and a chunky history file with servicing stamps from Mountune and GT101. It’s all yours for £359,990, which is a good chunk more than this ‘regular’ GT but it’s by no means the most expensive. It’s no faster than either of them, but it sure is a lot more special. Prettier, too.
While it might be a good investment, my money would go on a superperformance GT40 mk1
Because I’d just buy it and then probably never drive it along with dozens of others sitting in my imaginary storage unit. Thats why I never play the lottery for less than £50 million, I could do 10 or 12 million in an afternoon.
Anyway, what a lovely thing. Best paint scheme I have seen on one of those.
They look absolutely mega and they probably have one of my favourite interiors of any car ever. No screens or electronic gubbins that are obsolete after a decade. Just everything you need to drive, with great interior design and materials.
As much as I'd love a Ferrari with a manual 360 being my realistic dream car, if you compare a contemporary F430 to one of these, it's simply not even in the same ballpark. The GT is so much more of an experience to behold.
No idea what either are like to drive though.
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