Mecum Auctions listed a very rare 1966 Ford GT40 Mkl Road Car on Jan. 2, 2024. One estimate places its value at up to $7 million. (Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.)
"The result is a barely used, concours-quality GT40 that might have just 29 brothers and sisters on the planet," AutoBlog.com reported Monday.
"The GT40 is one of Ford’s great masterpieces, and it's an extremely rare event to see one offered at public auction."
"Mecum hasn't provided a pre-sale estimate. According to Hagerty, the quality of this GT40 puts the coupe's valuation at just over $7 million."
Drivers run to their cars at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France, June 18, 1966. The four cars in the foreground are Ford GT40 MkI models. Of them, numbers 2 and 1 finished first and second, respectively. (Getty Images)
"In so many ways, the GT40 helped shape automotive history by being so successful in its era against the European manufacturers who had dominated sports car racing for far too long."
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The race car's prestige was forged in the wake of a deal gone bad between Ferrari and Ford, according to Mecum.
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"Henry Ford II decided that if he could not buy the legendary sports car builder, he would beat them at their own game — and that’s just what he did with the GT40," the auction house writes.
Mecum Auctions listed a very rare 1966 Ford GT40 Mkl Road Car on Jan. 2, 2024. Here are two views of the car. (Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.)
"Ferrari’s last win at Le Mans was in 1965 with its 250 LM, and at that time, Ford was just beginning to gain steam with its GT program. By 1966, Ferrari’s Le Mans dynasty was at an end."
The Ford GT40 not only won the race in 1966; it swept the top three spots.
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"The Ford GT40 was the car that brought Le Mans to America’s consciousness," Florida auto museum Revs Institute writes on its website, "and victory in the French classic to Dearborn."
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
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