# It Was A Rather Good Day



## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Some days just turn out OK, some good, some :clap:

Well today was one of the latter, a couple of my mates from our heritage centre needed to bring over a car or two for a bit of a shakedown before the Goodwood revival......of course I obviously needed to be there to take a few piccies.....guess what turned up?

B)

:notworthy:

No....not one of these........... :sadwalk:










But TWO of them! :yahoo:










Now its rather rare just to see one, but two running together mmmmmm fun, fun, fun :drool:

The black one is a MK1 from 1964 (one of the first) and the white one is a Mk3 from 1968, and they sound gorgeous. The 1964 version is an out and out track car as original, the '68 is a fully trimmed road car.










Yes.......they are the keys! 

I got to whizz around the track in the '64 racer.....twoz lovely...ok maybe a bit of an understatement :lol:

The sound is still zinging in the back of my cranium, well it had eight downdraught carbs about 6" from it! :lol:


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

Great pics of two of perhaps the most iconic racers of the 60's. :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

Truly stunning.


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## MarkDavey (Jan 9, 2009)

Oooh you luck devil, bet that sounded fantastic - both lovely cars :drool:


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

You jammy bugger!

:notworthy:


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I haven`t a clue what they are but from your enthusiasm I presume something special ?:blink:


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I haven`t a clue what they are but from your enthusiasm I presume something special ?:blink:


same here mac :lol:


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## Bladerunner (Jun 4, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I haven`t a clue what they are but from your enthusiasm I presume something special ?:blink:


They are Ford GT40's Mac, built to beat Ferrari at Le Mans & indeed they did!!

Not surprised your Grinning like a Cheshire Cat David.


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

Very nice, if you where any taller you won't get in.

The GT40 was called that because it is 40" high.

Ford built them, because Enzo pulled out of a deal to sell Ferrari. Enzo was using the proposed deal with Ford to get money from the Italian government from what I remember.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

The closest I got to a GT40 was the Corgi replica, sadly, I don't have it now.

It was an iconic car in my youth, as was the Lotus 7.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Absolutely brilliant David! WahOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

What a superb day, and one you will remember for ever... amazing.


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## DMP (Jun 6, 2008)

Nice one, M8, reckon that would be just about the best fun you could have with your clothes on! :cheers:


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I always thought the GT40 had a right hand gear lever/gear change :huh:

Whatever these are great looking cars - didn't the soundtrack during the car chase in "Bullit" feature these cars at full chat?

I remember Clarkson not being able to drive one of these because he was too tall & couldn't shut the doors without beheading himself (no bad thing some would say).


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Yep, the race version (the black one) had a proper RH gearchange, the white road car in for the piccy had a central gearchange so as not to confuse the rich buggers who could afford them, all 7 I believe :lol: .

And yes the GT40 was named as it was just 40" high and Henry did indeed make it to get his own back on Enzo when Ferrari pulled out on the deal, and he trounced Ferrari at their own game at Le Mans

The race version we had was an out and out animal albeit well trained :lol: it strode around our track (which has an official open restricted top speed of 70mph (H&S)) at somewhat considerably more than that as it was closed off for our day h34r: the speedo showed in excess of 200mph but of course we got no where near that as the speedo is being rather optimistic, we touched a far more honest.....well actually I cannot say







:warning: but you get the drift, it was considerable :lol:

Don't know how tall Clarkson is (I know hes a bit of a beanpole) but I am 6'3" and managed the road car (just!) even without the "Gurney bubble" in the door which the racer now has.


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Oh yes, just in case anyone is thinking one would be nice to own.......each one of ours is insured for a Â£1,000,000......not that you could replace them of course!


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## Padders (Oct 21, 2008)

I must be turing into a miserable cynic in my old age. When I saw you mention 'heritage centre' and noticed that you are based in Essex I guessed Ford and assumed you had a go in an old 1600E cortina or at best the Lotus version but once I saw the pictures all sneering cynicism vanished. Wow :notworthy:


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Don't worry we do have a Mk1 Lotus Cortina as well.......Ok so maybe the GT40 was slightly more desirable :lol:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

I don't know did I not see one of the great train robbers Lotus Cortina offered up recently and expected to fetch Â£100K+ 

Superb pictures of the GT 40's, have you had a go in the modern version by way of a comparison ????


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

I may be wrong but that 'black one is a MK1 from 1964' looks distinctly like a 1966 MkII to my eye ....

Specifically, the 1966 Le Mans winning car. 

Or is it a 1964 Mk1 that has been 'dressed up' to look like it ?


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Actually to be pedantic its really just a GT40, the Mk1 was the second iteration :blink: it is an original 1964 GT40 and has been through a few colour changes, it originally was in Gulf colours then a wierd green colour I cannot recall the name of, but recently it has been changed to look like the Le Mans winner, even had a door with the Gurney hump made for it.

You have to understand that in the early days these cars were just a "tool" for a job and as such were chopped about and parts swapped over to "get the job done"....I do know for a fact that the black car has recently had its MoT and was registered as built in 1964, so a very early car. Not even sure you can trust the chassis numbers anymore, so many people bo88ocked around with them.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

FMC 1 in Gulf colours ???

These classic car guys get anal about all this chassis number correctness business but as you say many of these old race cars are chopped and changed and added to over the years, A bit like when you HPI one of these old ferraris and it comes back showing as a 1978 Renault :lol: :lol:


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

BondandBigM said:


> FMC 1 in Gulf colours ???
> 
> These classic car guys get anal about all this chassis number correctness business but as you say many of these old race cars are chopped and changed and added to over the years, A bit like when you HPI one of these old ferraris and it comes back showing as a 1978 Renault :lol: :lol:


Thats the one......and I agree with your comments entirely, actually working within the industry for so long gives a unique insight into just how random these "genuine" classics are in fact, I would be suprised if half the so called genuine provinence historical race cars even rolled a wheel on a race track :lol:

Hey its all good fun though, something a lot of people forget.....I couldn't have given a knat's turd if "FMC 1" was a racer or show car....it was bloody good grin


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

BondandBigM said:


> A bit like when you HPI one of these old ferraris and it comes back showing as a 1978 Renault :lol: :lol:


Come to think of it...I think I looked at that Ferrari in autotrader once :rofl2:


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