The Ford GT40 MkII with which Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon scored Ford’s initial victory at Le Mans in 1966 has been acquired by RK Motors Charlotte and will be given a full restoration in preparation for a coming-out party at Pebble Beach in 2016, 50 years after it led Ford’s controversial 1-2-3 finish in France.
The car, chassis P/1046, also the first American car to prevail at le Circuit de la Sarthe, had passed through several different owners’ hands since it was retired from competition following the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, and now will be lovingly returned to pristine condition by one of America’s top restoration houses.
“We’re thrilled to add this historic GT40 to the RK Motors stable of rare collector cars,” said company marketing director Jeff Spiegel. “Given the international notoriety of this racecar, we feel it’s important to share online updates throughout the course of the 20-month restoration, allowing a worldwide audience access to this process.”
Access to these periodic video and photo updates of the restoration, can be found at: www.rkmotorscharlotte.com