This one was actually sort of a failure car. Ford simply didn’t manage to give its best when it created the GT40 Mk. III. Built in 1967 as a street-legal version of the GT40 (a Le Mans winner), the car didn’t receive proper development and marketing. Initial interest quickly faded and finally only 7 units were built.
To make it a true street-legal car, Ford made the MK. III some eight inches longer (for more luggage space), added suitable lighting, mufflers, vestigial bumpers, a new interior trim, a relocated shifter (from the right side sill to the cockpit’s center) and a ventilation system. It was powered by a V8 engine, mated to a ZF five-speed transaxle and flaunted 306 horsepower. The 0-60 mph sprint could be completed in 6 seconds flat, before reaching the top speed of 160 mph. A new Mk. III cost $18,500 in 1967, but its value has now grown to approximately $400,000.
- Claim to Fame: The only Ford GT40 that was actually a bit of a failure
- Soundtrack: How about “Have you driven a Ford, Lately?”, the commercial jingle?
- Ideal Passenger: A. J. Foyt or Dan Gurney, who won the Le Mans competition the same year that the MK. III was produced.
- Where to Drive It: A Le Mans course, or any other trilling road, because this was actually a street-legal car, wasn’t it?
- How to Get Behind the Wheel: We believe auctions are your only hope.
- Did You Know? The entire GT program was born from Henry Ford’s frustration that Enzo Ferrari had refused to sell him the company.
