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Replicating the GT40 experience
Imported copy a throwback to racing glory days
By Bob English
Thursday, December 4, 2003
Thirty-three years ago I owned a BMC Mini Cooper painted the unlikely colours of pale blue and orange. Unlikely, that is, if you weren't a keen road racing enthusiast in the late 1960s. This still-striking combination was sponsor Gulf Oil's racing livery and, in 1968 and 1969, adorned the privately-entered John Wyer Racing Le Mans 24 Hour-winning Ford GT40s. Ford-run GT40s had also won the previous two years, creating a legend that still captures the imagination of endurance racing enthusiasts.
I had a more direct connection to the colours though. They were borrowed by the Brampton-based Mini-racing team, known as SRT (the politically incorrect meaning of which I'll spare you), which I hung out with. But it was the legacy of those GT40s, not the SRT Minis, that saw me walking toward a belt-buckle-high, blue and orange sports car recently. This car, if you squinted your eyes just a little bit, looked like it was angle-parked on the starting grid at Le Mans rather than in the office parking lot.
Interest in GT40s remains so high that a number of companies around the world are producing replicas. It was one of these that I was about to drive. Ford itself has just launched its own new GT - built with the latest technology, but closely resembling the Ferrari-fighting GT40 of the 1960s. The story is a great one. Back in 1963, Ford tried to buy Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, at first, rather liked the idea, but then reneged with his pen hand virtually poised over the contract. Ford, more than a little put out, decided to punish the autocratic Italian by humbling him where it hurt. France's Le Mans 24 Hours classic was the chosen venue for the duel and the weapon Ford began to develop was the GT40, originally based on British designer Eric Broadley's little Lola GT prototype. But the cars, though powered by thundering V8s and capable of over 320 km/h, came up short, defeated by the red Ferraris at Le Mans in 1964 and again in '65. Then Ford got serious, eventually throwing a reputed $15 million U.S. at the project (mega money in those days) and trouncing the Maranello-based squad four years running.
One of those bitten hard by the GT40 bug (to the point of obsession, he admits) was Ian Clark, one-time advertising type, turned Formula Ford racer and now president of CAV Canada Motorsports Inc. of Burlington, which imports the CAV GT40.
The car, built by Cape Advanced Vehicles in Capetown, South Africa, is an as-close-to-the-real-thing replica of the GT 40 Mk.1B as it makes sense to build, says Clarke, who'll sell you one for between $99,975 to $149,000. One of the 125 or so original Ford GT40s will set you back $2 million to $10 million. What you get for your money with the CAV GT40 is essentially a mid-'60s GT40 race car, tamed and civilized a bit and, of course, licensable for road use.
Like the original, the CAV GT40 is a 2-passenger, mid-engined rear-drive design, built around a steel (now stainless) monocoque frame, and clad in a fibreglass body made from moulds taken from a Ford museum car. The interior is also accurate, although the hammock-like seats and dash are leather covered, and it has carpets, air conditioning and a heater. It stands about 1016 mm (40 inches) tall, hence the name. Suspension, brakes and knock-on BRM pattern wheels are near identical, although the tires are obviously modern. It weights in at 1065 kg.
Clarke says the Ford GT40 Mk.1B was powered by a 289 cubic inch V8 fed by four twin-choke Weber carbs. Its 340 horsepower got to the rear wheels via a 5-speed ZF all-syncro gearbox. The base CAV GT40 has a 302 cubic inch Ford V8 producing 345 hp and uses an identical ZF gearbox. It gets to 100 km/h in about 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 260 km/h.
The example Clarke brought along belongs to Burlington businessman Angelo Paletta and is as close to the double Le Mans winning car's specs as possible. Its 351 cubic inch V8 has been stroked to 392 cubes and four 48 mm IDA Weber carbs sit up top where they rasp and wheeze, exhale gas fumes and inhale enough air and fuel to make about 500 hp.
Getting in, through doors that take up half the roof, requires moves a chiropractor would love, and you sit essentially on the floor with your legs stretched out horizontally. The view over the small racing wheel is wonderful - just road, bracketed by the sensual swell of the fenders. The big V8 churns to life with a muted bellow from the "bundle of snakes" exhaust headers.
The gearshift requires very definite effort and direction, and the twin-plate racing clutch a bit of leg muscle. With very little flywheel the engine builds and loses revs quickly. Coupled with massive torque and a heavy throttle, coordinating things for shifts is challenging, but fun. With a little practice it's easy enough to drive around town, but the car is best where it can stretch its legs.
The CAV GT40 is a rocket. All that motor and a curb weight of just over 1,000 kg make it brutally quick, but it's far from nasty. It puts the power down effectively and the handling and non-power steering are a delight. It changes direction quickly, seems to have plenty of grip (I didn't try to see how much) and even the ride, while very hard, isn't punishing.
It's easily one of the most exciting and involving cars I've ever driven, partly because of the romance of the thing, to be sure. But also because it delivers a more robust driving experience than any of today's over-distilled sports cars. Like drinking a peaty Islay single malt instead of a blend.
If you'd like a shot of what real '60s vintage sports car driving is like, contact Ian Clarke at 905-637-9362 or at www.gt40cars.com.
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