New video chronicling restoration of ’66 Le Mans-winning GT40
Monday, 06 June 2016
RACER staff
The pending return to Le Mans by Ford's works team on the 50th anniversary of its first victory in the 24 Hours coincides with the culmination of a 20-month restoration of the car that took that epic victory. That painstaking restoration, by Kingston, N.H.-based Rare Drive, is chronicled by a video released today by RK Motors Charlotte: "Rebirth of a Racing Legend," which details the reassembly of P/1046, the iconic 1966 Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 racecar.
Accessible in a multi-chapter video series at
gt40.rkmotorscharlotte.com, the new footage details the restoration's painstaking finishing touches, in anticipation of P/1046's unveiling later this month at the historic Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe.
Almost 4,000 man-hours have been spent onthe restoration since the process began in December 2014, with as many as seven professional restorers working on the racecar daily. Providing a steady stream of challenges along the way, the restoration required fabrication of parts that are no longer manufactured, such as the windshield and the entire exhaust, which – in keeping with its original development – features unequal lengths at the rear of the car.
No minute detail was spared during the process, including replicating the hand-painted No. 2 race number on the hood, which was originally hastily applied at the track. As a result, the restored version includes the exact paint drips as the original.
"Bringing this iconic piece of automotive history back to life has been a dream of ours for a long time," said Robert Kauffman, chairman and CEO of RK Motors Charlotte. "We are thrilled with the results and cannot wait until the world gets to see the GT40 in all of its original glory at Le Mans."
The GT40 is a testament to stalwart and ingenious engineering and is the first American-built car to win endurance racing's most prestigious competition, which had always been dominated by Ferrari. Developed by legendary car builder and racer Carroll Shelby, chassis P/1046 carved its niche in racing history as the first of three GT40s to take the checkered flag and earn podium finishes at the 1966 Le Mans race besting Ferrari in the #1, #2, and #3 winning positions. The 1966 race continues to rank as one of the closest finishes in Le Mans history.