FORD GT40 MkIII

Author
Discussion

nickcarter

Original Poster:

6 posts

270 months

Monday 14th January 2002
quotequote all
Hi All

How popular are the kit versions of the Ford GT40 in the UK?

I have found an absolute beauty for sale at a good price, but am probably thinking of moving to the UK in the medium term. Would it be worthwhile bringing it out with me. Would it hold it's value?...or would it be best to sell it here before I leave? (I live in South Africa). What does a good one sell for over in the UK?

From what I know, it is fitted with a powerful V6 (original was V8), with Citroen gear (same as earlier
Esprit). The body was imported from the UK, and was "supposedly"
manufactured by one of the chaps who was originally involved in the GT40's
success as Le Mans.

I would appreciate any insights.

Cheers,

Nick

domster

8,431 posts

270 months

Tuesday 15th January 2002
quotequote all
There is a following for the GT40 in England, the most repected kits being the GTD and Dax, IMHO. The earlier KVA kit isn't of the same quality I believe. It may be worth finding out what your kit is.

The V6 will be a major problem, as most have the 'original' 302 Ford V8 which you can still buy, and which is reasonably authentic. Other engines kill resale, although the Rover V8 is at least the right cylinder config.

Build quality is obviously important, and disc brakes all round preferred.

There are a few 'hyper' replicas around, like the Ray Mallock GT40, which can be worth between 45k GBP and 70k GBP, but most mainstream replicas with the right bits, built well and looking good, will fetch between 20k GBP and 25k GBP. A 'poor spec' car, perhaps built on an early KVA kit and with a less authentic engine, could fetch as little as 10k GBP, so be warned.

Hope this helps.
Domster




nickcarter

Original Poster:

6 posts

270 months

Tuesday 15th January 2002
quotequote all
Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

Is there an easy way to check out which kit version it was constructed from. I am not able to get to the car till the weekend, but would like to phone the chap who's selling it, and get him to check for me.

Another quickie...what were the original colours for the MkIII? Please tell me British Racing Green was one of them?!! ;-)

Later

Nick

domster

8,431 posts

270 months

Thursday 17th January 2002
quotequote all
Hi Nick,

I'm not sure there is an easy way to tell which kit it is, unless you are a real expert. Most people tend to use a few parts of their own, and this can throw you off the scent. Go on build quality and spec, anyway.

As for original colours, well, the Gulf team colours (light blue and orange) were quite popular at the time for GT40s. There is also a classic dark blue/white stripes Viper-esque colour scheme, that has its roots in American racing (remember, the GT40 is a Ford - an American car in theory, used by Ford to beat Ferrari at Le Mans).

British Racing Green is a much rarer colour scheme, but as it is a race car, many colours would have been used. I wouldn't fret too much about it ( I think they look good in gunmetal grey) but I would say that the most popular colours for replicas may be: blue/white stripe; Gulf livery; red.

Cheers and good luck - biggest concern is the V6. They *really* should have a V8, so don't pay over the odds.

Rgds
Domster