Mayhem in Manhattan


Luke Warmwater

Permanent Vacation
Jul 29, 2009
1,414
Boondocks, Colorado
http://www.carguychronicles.com/2011/10/ford-gt40-mk-iii-mayhem-in-manhattan.html

GT40+Crusin+East+Side.jpg
 
Sorry...but, the MK III just isn't my cuppa tea...:frown




(Did you notice the sign in the showroom window? "Our '67 Ford prices start at $1897" Krymuny! That wouldn't even cover the SALES TAX on a Kia today!)
 
That was interesting to me.
Could you imagine having that car in the late 60’s?
 
The Petersen Museum in LA has a MKIII parked next to a new FGT in one of their displays.
 
I just sold the editor of that article his FIRST Ford GT. Small world. Its actually shipping to him this week.....
 
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The Petersen Museum in LA has a MKIII parked next to a new FGT in one of their displays.

Here's a picture -
 
Here is a quick note the editor of this article asked me to post:
Shelby:
I noticed that you posted your comment on the GT Forum Thread regarding the piece I published about driving the GT40 Mark III in Manhattan. You never know who will pick stuff up on the Internet!

I haven't joined the Forum yet, will do so shortly so can't post any comments. Since GT guys love information about the marque, thought I'd ask you to post something in that thread. I've done some research on that Mark III and came up with some interesting details for those who are really into GT40s.


Here's what I just came up with yesterday:
It was chassis # M/3 1101 and actually the prototype for the street series, sold to Ford Motor Co. on 4/1/1967, sold the second time on 9/18/1968. It was the 1967 New York Auto Show car.


After we drove it, Ford used it for promotional events and in 1968 shipped it back to John Wyer in the UK to be brought up to Mark III production specs. While shipping it back to Ford, it was flattened by another GT40 Mark III # 1106 that was dropped on top of it!



Because damage was so serious, it was shipped to Kar Kraft and stored until Ford gave OK to rebuild it. Upon completion it was sold to Prosser Mellon of the Gulf Oil family, later sold to Vintage Car Store in Nyack and, in 1978, sold to Ralph Brass, Fairfield, NJ and sprayed yellow. That's the last I could find out about it.

I could have bought it in 1967 for "chump change" and blew it. Now I'm looking forward to my Tungsten GT purchased from Shelby.
Marty
 
Very cool Shelby.
 
Here is a quick note the editor of this article asked me to post:
Shelby:
I noticed that you posted your comment on the GT Forum Thread regarding the piece I published about driving the GT40 Mark III in Manhattan. You never know who will pick stuff up on the Internet!

I haven't joined the Forum yet, will do so shortly so can't post any comments. Since GT guys love information about the marque, thought I'd ask you to post something in that thread. I've done some research on that Mark III and came up with some interesting details for those who are really into GT40s.


Here's what I just came up with yesterday:
It was chassis # M/3 1101 and actually the prototype for the street series, sold to Ford Motor Co. on 4/1/1967, sold the second time on 9/18/1968. It was the 1967 New York Auto Show car.


After we drove it, Ford used it for promotional events and in 1968 shipped it back to John Wyer in the UK to be brought up to Mark III production specs. While shipping it back to Ford, it was flattened by another GT40 Mark III # 1106 that was dropped on top of it!



Because damage was so serious, it was shipped to Kar Kraft and stored until Ford gave OK to rebuild it. Upon completion it was sold to Prosser Mellon of the Gulf Oil family, later sold to Vintage Car Store in Nyack and, in 1978, sold to Ralph Brass, Fairfield, NJ and sprayed yellow. That's the last I could find out about it.

I could have bought it in 1967 for "chump change" and blew it. Now I'm looking forward to my Tungsten GT purchased from Shelby.

Marty

Very interesting article and supplemental information - thanks for posting. :thumbsup

The 2008 edition (the latest) of SAAC's "World Registry of Cobras & GT40s" has a very interesting narrative about this car, confirming the colorful history described in the article and in the above post, plus more. Focusing just on the ownership history, here's what can be added from the Registry's narrative:

In 2004 Ralph Bass sold the car to Nick Soprano of White Plains, NY. It was placed in the Saratoga Springs Auto Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Mr. Soprano sold the car in 2005 and it went to the UK. Lanzante, Ltd. transformed the car to a, "...full race 1965 FIA spec MKI. It was changed to RHD and all of the car's MKIII panels were reportedly put into storage."

In April 2006 the car was listed for sale by Lee Maxted-Page of Halsted, Essex as GT40 P/1101 (not as M3/1101, the original chassis number). No further ownership trail in the registry.
 
If you look at the more current article (FORD GT40 ROAD COUPE: LIFE IN THE FAST LANE! dated 11/1 http://www.carguychronicles.com/2011/11/ford-gt40-road-coupe-life-in-fast-lane.html), it shows Colin Comer's 1966 street car (although now without the wire wheels). Interesting to note that this car has 2 lights/side on the car, instead of the single larger pod light/side. Note also, the original delivery picture of the car in black and white, that it was a stripe free car as well, without any blue oval or F O R D lettering as some of the other cars had!