The Ford GT40 is one of those preeminent cars that – we think – should simply never fall off the face of the earth. Each example has a story, in other words.
Of course, tell that to the firefighter who left his packed into a garage for several decades.
But we digress. Our friends over at Jalopnik were wondering what happened to a very specific example of Ford GT40: a 1965 example numbered P/1027, which served as a high-speed camera car for the 1966 black and white film Grand Prix. They explain that after spinning out on the track, star Yves Montand refused to drive fast, so MGM promptly purchased the Ford GT40 and fixed the actor’s Formula 1-style car body to the back for the film’s high-speed driving shots.
But when the camera stops rolling, what happens to such a car? Fortunately, the guys at Jalopnik didn’t have to go too far to find out; Classic Driver already did the work for them. This Ford GT40 camera car remained in California for a time before living in the U.K., where it changed color several times, and went on to win the Goodwood Revival in 2005. It’s since been resprayed in its original Belgian Yellow, and wears classic racing livery, ready to tear up the tarmac again.
Quite a fine retirement for what has to be one of the hardest working Ford GT40s in history.
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