1966 Ford GT40

Update

New, detailed, Ronnie Spain report now available. See below.

History

GT40 Ford, chassis #1048, was completed 5/24/66. The original Production Car Record Sheet, issued by Ford Advanced Vehicles of Slough, England, lists the first principal customer as Umberto Maglioli – winner of such races as the 24 Hours of LeMans, Targa Florio, and the Carrerra Panamericana.

After initial shakedown testing by Innes Ireland at Goodwood, the car was delivered to the Italian racing team of Scuderia Brecia Corse for competition use.

Mario Casoni, the Scuderia Brescia Corsa team driver, gave #1048 its competition debut July 10, 1966, in the Trento-Bondone European Mountain Championship. Casoni finished 3rd in Group 4, 7th quickest overall.

On August 7, 1966, Casoni set the track record and placed #1048 on the pole for the Enna Cup race at Pergusa, Sicily. Right rear suspension failure caused the car to retire on lap 53 of 70.

In September, Casoni and #1048 finished 7th in the Austrian GP at the Zeltweg aerodrome. In October, Nino Vaccarella, also a winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans, qualified #1048 third quickest for the Paris 1,000 kms at Montlhery. Unfortunately, #1048 slid off into a ditch during the race, sustaining minor damage, but ending its day.

In 1967, #1048 received cosmetic modifications. Its original U.K. street license plates were removed, and white number roundels were applied to the nose and doors. Maglioli and Vaccarella co-drove #1048 in the Reims 12 hour race that year, but retired with engine failure. On August 6, 1967, the Scuderia Brescia Corse GT40, #1048 won the Enna Cup at the hands of Vaccarella. Vaccarella and #1048 averaged over 130 mph for the 187.74 mile distance.

After its Brescia Corse career, #1048 was sold to the German Ferrari specialist, Willy Konig. Koenig modified #1048 by widening the rear bodywork, flaring the sills, and attaching canard fins at the front sides of the nose. Konig entered the car at the Nuremberg 200 Miles race at the Norisring in June, 1969. A failure in practice resulted in a DNS.

Jean-Pierre Rouget and Herve Bayard entered #1048 in its Konig-modified form in the Paris 1,000 kms in 1967. However, #1048 failed to start. A week later in the Casablanca G.P., Rouget crashed the car. #1048 survived the mishap and competed in further French events during the 1970 season.

In 1971 the tail bodywork section of #1048 was further modified, similar to the 917 Porsches of the period, with the taillights relocated on the frame on each side of the exhaust pipes. The car was raced in this configuration at LeMans in the 3 hour race on April 18, 1971. The car caught fire and was severely damaged.

Jean-Claude Geurie purchased #1048 in its still fire-damaged condition in 1972. The car was rebuilt, finished in a light green, and then sold to Michel Dagorne, also in 1972. Dagorne then sold #1048 to Jean-Pierre Van Den Doorn December 29, 1973.

GT40 #1048 remained with Jean-Pierre Van Den Doorn for the next six years. Then, in December, 1979, Van Den Doorn turned #1048 over to former Scuderia Filipinetti mechanic, Franco Sbarro, for proper restoration. With little “restoration” work done, and still maintaining the distinctive scars and features accumulated during its long competition history, #1048 was passed from Sbarro to Giuseppi Lucchini in 1980. Now, chassis #1048 carried a reproduction FoMoCo chassis tag, not its original chassis tag. Three years later Sbarro shipped a newly constructed GT40 replica back to Van Den Doorn, with the original GT40P-1048 chassis tag.

Lucchini subsequently commissioned Ronnie Spain, noted GT40 Ford expert and author of GT40-An Individual Race History and Race Record, Osprey, London, 1986, to inspect the Lucchini car to determine its authenticity. That inspection, the ensuing lawsuit against Sbarro, and the results of that lawsuit are set forth below in the excerpt on GT40P/1048 from the Shelby American World Registry.

Shelby American World Registry, 1997, Page 329:

“P/1048: Production racing coupe completed 5/24/66. Purchased by Umberto Maglioli (Como, ITL) and raced under the banner of Scuderia Brescia Corse; painted red. 7/10/66 Trento-Bondone (Casoni, 7th); 8/7/66 Enna (Casoni-DNF); 9/11/66 Zeltweg (#8 – Casoni – 7th); 10/16/66 Montlhery (#36, Vaccarella/Casoni-crashed); 6/25/67 Rheims (#24, Magioli/Vaccarella, DNF); 8/6/67 Enna (Vacerella-1st); 10/9/67 Innsbruck (Magioli-4th). Purchased by Willie Konig (GER) ’68. Norisring (Konig-DNS); 10/12/69 Montlhery (Rouget/Bayard-DNS); crashed in practice. 10/19/69 Casablanca (Rouget-crashed); 4/26/70 Montlhery (Greiller/Geurie-DNF); 5/3/70 Magny Cours (#64 Greiller-DNF); 7/14/70 Magny Cours (Greiller); 8/9/70 Mont Dore (#176); 8/23/70 Magny Cours (#176). 10/25/70 Montlhery (Rouget-DNF); Caught fire and totally gutted at LeMans ’71 (the last GT40 raced at LeMans). Purchased (still as burned chassis) by Jean Claude Geurie (FRA) ’71; rebuilt over the next year, finished in metalliclight green. Purchased by Michel Dagorne (FRA) ’72, purchased by Jean Pierre Van Den Doorn (l’etang La Ville FRA) ’73. Sent to Franco Sbarro (Tuileries de Grandson, SWI) for restoration 12/79. Sbarro sold the original GT40 P/1048 to Guiseppe Lucchini (ITL) ’80. It carried a repro FoMoCo chassis plate. Three years later Sbarro shipped a newly constructed GT40 to van den Doorn which carried the original GT40 P/1048 chassis plate. Lucchini subsequently commissioned Ronnie Spain to inspect his car in Italy. Spain suspected that the car Van Den Dorn now had after Sbarro’s “restoration” was likely not the original. His inspection of Lucchini’s car verified it as being the original car owned by Van Den Doorn. Spain provided a report on Lucchini’s car’s authenticity and information was also supplied to Van Den Doorn, who subsequently instigated a suit against Sbarro. Van Den Doorn was awarded a Lola T-70 replica, another Lola replica, and cash as compensation from Sbarro (as well as retaining the Sbarro built “P/1048″ car). Lucchini is now recognized as the legal owner of P/1048. Van Den Doorn has possession of a Sbarro reproduction which apparently still carries the number P/1048. Has reportedly been for sale, represented as the original.”

Since the last publishing of the Shelby Registry in 1997, GT40 #1048 was sold by Lucchini to the current owner.

Within the past few months, Ronnie Spain has prepared a new, detailed, and definitive report on the authenticity of #1048. This report contains information not available to the Shelby Registry at the time the Registry was last published. A copy of this report can be made available to seriously interested parties for review.

Description

GT40 #1048 was delivered to the first owner with the factory 289 Cobra engine, serial number 52183. It had Borrani wire wheels with Goodyear racing tires. A spare set of 8.5 inch and 10 inch FAV wheels were supplied as spares. The GT40 was fitted in standard race trim with added rear brake cooling ducts. The bodywork was finished off in red with white sill stripes and “FORD” lettering. The car was wore the English registration tag, PKX 852D.

GT40 #1048 is now in fully restored condition and finished in white. It is powered by a 289 Ford engine with Gurney/Weslake heads and Weber carburetion.

Chassis Number: 1048