1966 Ford GT40

1966 CAV GT Ford GT40 This 1966 GT40 replica is built by CAV- or Cape Advanced Vehicles- in South Africa. Produced in the early 2000s, the GT40 is finished in Metallic silver and has recently undergone a comprehensive rebuild while under the care of the consignor. After purchasing the car in 2021, numerous upgrades were carried out to the vehicle, to both improve its looks, and make it a far better performer. On the exterior, the paint remained the same color, but the GT40 received black stripes down the lower sills, and a new set of BRM-style knock off wheels with black centers and silver knock-offs, makes the car look far more authentic than the larger wheels typically found on GT40 recreations. Under the skin is where this GT40 received the most attention though, starting with its stout 427ci V8 sitting out back. The engine received a complete rebuild by Ron Shaver Racing, who completely stripped the engine down, keeping only the aluminum block, crankshaft and rods. AFR aluminum heads were installed, as was a Weber EFI fuel injection. This injection system looks like the quad-twin choke Weber carburetors that would have been found on the original GT40s thanks to their velocity stacks up top, but has all of the benefits of modern fuel injection from a performance and reliability standpoint. A Comp Cam hydraulic roller camshaft was installed, and now this engine pulls strong all the way past 6,000 rpm. Dyno results show this lightweight GT40 producing 584 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 544 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm, which is run through a 5-speed manual transaxle which was rebuilt by specialists RBT and benefits from a McLeod Street Extreme Clutch. Puyallup based J&L Fabrication rebuilt the fuel system with new fuel cells and fuel safe bag tanks, and now this car runs flawlessly on standard 91 octane pump gas. The suspension was rebuilt with new QA-1 shocks, while all new brakes with high performance PBR brake calipers and fresh lines have been added. The interior of the GT40 features two seats with the infamous metal eyelets, which were first installed in the GT40 race cars to theoretically provide some ventilation during endurance racing. These have now become a required stylistic element in any GT40 recreation, and are on full display here, although the seats themselves are made of memory foam and wrapped in leather with Alcantara centers. This GT40 was built with a left hand drive, center shift specification, making it more accessible than the original race car's right hand drive, sill shift setup. Settle into the cabin and you are greeted by a 3-spoke leather wrapped aluminum steering wheel, that frames a large tachometer, and a speedometer that sits just at the edge of your peripheral vision off to the right. Given the GT40s side windows have an opening just large enough to hand toll through, it is crucial that any recreation is fitted with air conditioning- which is present on this example and keeps the cabin nice and cool on even the hot