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Aya-Wavedancer — Ford GT40 Mk2
Published: 2009-09-05 10:05:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 2623; Favourites: 34; Downloads: 95
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Description
Prepared for the 1966 LeMans race by Ford/Shelby American Racing for Alan Mann Racing, a very good British-based team. Qualified 3rd, Driven by Sir John Whitmore and Aussie Frank Gardner, car was a DNF.Again, a big American Ford 427/7 Liter motor in a basically British chassis. It took the MK IV, which I'll show later (seen lurking behind this car), where the yanks figured out how to put a car around the engine.
Photographed at the Simeone Museum.
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Comments: 50
I want. I've seen the modern day GT, and I was like *le gasp*. Though, I think I prefer this version to the modern (or at least, the original modern GT) version.
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This car will be demonstrated live at the Simeone Museum weather permitting. If you can make it, go!
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Where is that museum?
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Near the Philadelphia International Airport.
www.simeonefoundation.org
The site lists the demo days, etc.
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=w= Sadly, I am planning a trip to DC already and highly doubt my parents would let me go all the way to Philadelphia just for a car demo. 
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DC is not that far from Philly, right up I-95. And the museum is less than 3 miles off I-95. Lots to see and do in this region.
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Well, maybe.
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One of my favourite cars of all time - So damn sexy!
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I have a better pic of the car near the front of my gallery that was taken later.
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Its just such a beautiful car, ever since I saw one in a motorsport book years ago when I was little, I fell in love with it. Not many racing cars have managed to capture my imagination like this one *apart from a couple of F1 cars*
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Lola always tried to create an attractive car- Eric Broadley really felt the car had to look right. I think, though after the T70 and when some of the more radical aerodynamics hit in the late 60's, they had to get more radical as well. The T260 is a good example of a pretty ugly car from that era...
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Some of Lola's cars looked great But something about the fords I can't really put my finger on it
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Lola pretty much crated the basic design/predecessor for the GT 40, the Lola MK 6. Lola's hand in the GT40 runs deeper than many realize.
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Definately, I think lola always went a bit boxy with alot of their designs, I seem to remember Ford hiring an italian designer to sculpt the body of the GT40, although my memory is a little fuzzy and I could be just intermixing motorsport history with other cars... all I know is whoever designed that look really nailed it for me and I know if I had enough money the GT40 would sit proudly next to a Lotus 49 and Mclaren Mp4/4...
When i win the lottery or rob a bank that is 
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There's a lot of controversy about the designer out there-- but I would say cred it for the body design of the GT40 would be given to both Roy Lunn and Phil Clark. It seems to be to be a combination of the MK 6 Lola and the Mustang I research/show car, which both had a hand in.
Read here- a lot of argument and such...
[link]
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Very interesting read, thanks for that link.
I think I definately got the history mixed up in my head... which makes me wonder what car I mixed it with...
hehe
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It's okay- the history of the car is obscure to an extent. Also, keep in mind Ford was tryng to promte this car as an AMERICAN effort in period, and wanted to keep a lid on the Lola/Ford England links in many ways. And, there are people out there who want to bust on the Yanks and bring this issue up!
Really, the GT40 MK IV was the truly all-american effort that win in 1967. The only time that's really happened.
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OMG 
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What you have in the second pic is a Team Wyer Mirage... not *quite* a GT40. Nice find!
Again, very original vehicles at the Simeone. I don't think this car was ever raced again, was stored, and I think may have had some resto work by Shelby at one time.
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Yes, that Simeone looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for IDing that Mirage; I'll update my description
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I'll do more research- There's a special designator for that car. It's even mentioned if you look at the Wyer transporter near the beginning of the Movie LeMans...
The Wyer Fords, Porsches, and Mirages with the Gulf scheme have almost a cult following amongst enthusiasts and slot car collectors like my Dad. Klem did a wonderful drawing of one of the 917LH cars here on DA for instance.
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Very original, too, IIRC. I don't think it's been heavily restored if at all.
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They really knew how to make nice looking cars back then.
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The aesthetics were also important to the designers, and were becoming less so around this period. I know a fellow who hates Jim Hall for introducing aerodynamics in his Chaparrals, but I find them neat to look at as well-- except for the 2J ground effect car, though I've found the video of it rather fascinating.
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Ex-Alan Mann, but not their lightweight variant. Standard MKII. I think it was raced at LeMans, sent back to Shelby, and stored for ever and ever, cleaned up and fixed up, then sold to a couple of people then to Doctor Simeone.
Prolly one of the most original examples of the car left out there.
The MK IV is a lot, lot rougher but is the most original of the 5-6 (!?!?!?) extant.
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Yes, though I prefer the Wyer MK 1 cars from 1968. I love the old Gulf scheme. I also like the rounder body as compared to the MK II
[link]
Anything with Gulf's "Extra kick" horseshoes on the car is worth serious style points in my book- can't see them on that image, they're on the back of the car. Big fad when I was little to buy those at the guld station and stick them on your car.
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I LOVE THAT CAR!! the one you mentioned
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The Wyer racing cars are iconic. Do a search for "Porsche 917" and you'll see tons of pics and art of cars in the Gulf racing livery that John Wyer racing made famous.
And I have some interesting stories from my Dad about Gulf, Gulf exec and racer Grady Davis, (Look him up and do an image search for his corvette racers), and the Gulf Research Lab near Pittsburgh and the voodoo juice that was "gasoline" they used to make available to people they liked who were in the know through Yenko.
Crazy stuff going on back then!!!!!!
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it was the swinging 60's and 70's, of course stuff went on.
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Well, it was more the people seeking the "Unfair Advantage", as Mark Donohue put it. Chevy wasn't officially racing, but Duntov made sure there was all sorts of stuff available, and guys like Yenko to get them to customers.
Add to that a Gulf executive making sure the Research lab was providing the best fuel possible to get an advantage--
There was more than Austin Powers running loose back then, LOL
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Why did I start hearing the theme from "The Cannonball Run" as soon as I saw this pic? XD
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Heh, did someone race a street vesrion of this in Cannonball Run?
I do have a story about the Polish-American Racing team in the *Real* Cannonball Run that's even crazier than that!
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I'd have to see it again, but I wouldn't be surprised. They had a lot of different types of cars in the films.
Are we talking "Real" as in the actual "Cannonball Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash"? I'd be interested in such a story...
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Yes, the real Cannonball Run, not the movies. Oscar Kovalevski, Tony Adamowicz, and Chuck Yeager ran a big Chevy van with a 454 in the real Cannonball Run with several 55 gallon drums of gas in the back, the plan being to run farther between fuel stops. Oscar told me this himself- He also said if he'd have thought more about the fact theyy were basically driving around with 2 dozen sticks of dynamite in explosive equivalent in the back, he'd have thought twice about doing it. I think their van broke down and they DNF'ed.
Mind you, Oscar was a racer of some repute and *very* solid ability- though he'll claim he was an "impostor" if you ask him, which I did... And Tony Adamowicz was also a fine racer in his day, and Chuck Yeager, is... Chuck Yeager. Google them if you don't know who these three guys are. They're worth knowing about.
I think they may have moviefied the van in one of the movies, I'm unsure. I've heard the movies are kinda dumb, though Gumball Rally is decent, and more reral to the reality of the event.
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Oh, I know who Chuck Yeager is, and I now consider him to be even more awesome.
I'll keep an eye out for the van next time I get a chance watch the films.
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You think about it- say 250-300 gallons even at 4-5 miles a gallon- you stop once to fill it fully. Not sure how many 55 gallon drums they had back there anymore...
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Enough to make them hope for a very smooth ride?
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LOL- unsure if they cared about the ride. Adamowicz and Kovalevski raced in Can-Am- my guess is the van was very heavy-duty, though.
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WOW, Polish accents! I'm really surprised
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Oscar founded the "Polish-American Racing team" here in the US in the late '80's early '70's, and a lot of fans became members. He's a wonderful and entergetic individual, even in his 80's!
He owned "Auto World" which was THE place for slot car racers BITD.
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Nice, thx for the info! I was searching for him and I've found some informations about him and his team. I've never had a slot car raceway, but few of my friends had
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Wow! Sweet design! Too bad I can never draw somethin' so awesome.
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This was based on a Lola design that was kinda mediocre. They stuck the Ford Engines in it and finally came up with a winner after an estimated 20 million+ dollar effort, and that's in 1966 dollars...
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i like the other version ( the same version as in need for speed most wanted game) of this car, still it looks great
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You mean the modern Ford GT, ot the original Mk1?
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NOW you're talkin'!
Oooooohhhh baby... (*drools*) Uber sweet design, a real starship fighter of the road! Love the color too!
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Yes- the Mk3 was a street car, and you can buy replicas, and of course the modern Ford GT which looks a lot like this!
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