Lot R721 // Friday, January 16th// Kissimmee 2026 P/1018, Shelby American Show Demo
Lot R721 // Friday, January 16th// Kissimmee 2026
P/1018, Shelby American Show Demonstrator, 1 of Only 2 GT40s Driven by Carroll Shelby
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P1018
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Auction details
Got questions? Contact usSPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
289 CI V-8
TRANSMISSION
5-Speed Manual
EXTERIOR COLOR
Maroon
INTERIOR COLOR
Black
MAKE
Ford
MODEL
GT40
TRIM/SUBMODEL
MkI
BODY STYLE
Coupe
AUCTION
Kissimmee 2026
CROSSING THE BLOCK
Friday, January 16th 2026

HIGHLIGHTS
- P/1018, 1 of only 48 GT40 MkI Race Coupes produced
- Delivered new to Shelby American for show and demonstration purposes and retained by them until 1968
- 1 of only 2 GT40s known to have been driven by Carroll Shelby, per marque expert and historian Ronnie Spain
- Retains its original chassis and is noted as being the first GT40 built with a 3-hole chassis panel that became a mainstay in later production
- Repainted in 2024 in its original, as-delivered Maroon
Equipped with a 289 CI V-8 engine and ZF 5-speed manual transaxle
Comprehensive history dossier by Ronnie Spain included- Delivered to Shelby American on November 9, 1965 as a race car prepared in “show trim”
- Upon delivery and despite receiving minor front nose damage in transit, P/1018 was immediately ushered down the runway to Shelby’s LAX premises and used in a promotional photo shoot with Carroll Shelby
- After the minor nose damage was repaired, P/1018 was first shown publicly at the Seattle auto show in November 1965, followed by the San Francisco and Portland auto shows
- Carroll Shelby drove this car at the opening of a new section of the Santa Monica freeway on January 6, 1966 with Miss Santa Monica in the passenger seat
- Later leased to MGM studios and driven by Bob Bondurant for camera testing laps at the Riverside circuit as part of the preparation for the filming of John Frankenheimer’s film "Grand Prix"
- Following the filming for "Grand Prix," the car was painted Dark Blue before embarking on a two-year showroom tour
- P/1018 made a cameo appearance in an episode of NBC’s hit spy fiction series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." titled "The Thrush Roulette Affair"
- Displayed in 1967 at the High Performance and Custom Trade Show held at Dodger Stadium (the show would later evolve into the SEMA show held annually in Las Vegas), The New York Coliseum Exhibition and the Dallas HemisFair
- Sold to its first private owner, Ervin Conciatu, in November 1968
- Later acquired by racing driver Brian O'Neil, who had the car painted Black with Gold stripes
- Sold to David Piper in Windelsham, Surrey, England, who outfitted the car with a Gurney Weslake-headed V-8 and BRM wheels and had it painted in Gulf Oil livery
- Acquired by Laurie O'Neill in Auburn, NSW, Australia, in March 1973
- In August 1982, P/1018 was involved in a collision during a demonstration run at Amaroo Park that resulted in damage to several body panels and a B-pillar
- Within his dossier, Ronnie Spain has stated the crash at Amaroo was, “… of next to no consequence to the chassis”
- O'Neill commissioned Page One Pty, Ltd. to perform a restoration in the prior Gulf colors, which was completed in 1985
- Mechanical sorting performed in the mid-1990s by former SAI GT40 mechanic, John Collins
- Acquired in 2001 by three-time Group C2 Endurance Racing World Champion Ray Bellm, who had the car refinished in Dark Blue
- Competition-prepped by Lanzante Limited in the U.K. and campaigned successfully by Bellm across Europe over the next seven years
- Multiple appearances in the Goodwood Revival's Whitsun Trophy (including a 2007 win)
- 11 wins from 13 starts at the Le Mans Classic
- Test driven against a Noble GT at the Dunsfold Airfield test circuit for an episode of "Top Gear" that aired in November 2004; P/1018 won by 0.06 seconds
- Acquired by Chris Wilson in 2009 while still being maintained by Lanzante Limited
- P/1018 continued to compete with yearly appearances at Members Meeting and Goodwood Revival, Le Mans Classic, Tour Auto events and Daytona Classic 24 hours, to name a few
- Displayed at the 2022 Heveningham Concours
- Participated in the Carroll Shelby parade at the 2023 Goodwood Revival
- Several binders containing a copy of the Ford Advanced Vehicles production sheet, historic racing records and log books, receipts, catalogs and other records included
- *Additional images coming soon
EXTERIOR
INTERIOR
Last edited by senor honda; Oct 26, 2025 at 08:23 AM.