A One-Of-Two 1965 Ford GT Roadster Up For Auction At Mecum

In the world of vintage car collecting, there’s rare, and there’s ultra-rare. We have seen a fair few very rare cars going under the hammer recently, with records being smashed occasionally. Think about the Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner, for instance, or the Steve McQueen-owned and driven Porsche 917K from the cult-movie Le Mans. This one, however, I just couldn’t pass up! Firstly, becuase I love the history of the car and how it played its part in Ford conquering Le Mans four years running, and secondly, because it looks just so freaking cool! As just one of five ever built, and only two that have survived the test of time, this is the story of the 1965 Ford GT/109 Competition Prototype Roadster! Oh, and if you’re up for it, it can be yours!

It’s not every day a car like this changes hands, especially not one with such a backstory. The clash between Ferrari and Ford has been well documented, of course, but it remains a fascinating saga in the history of motorsport. Ford had an interest in entering Le Mans in the early 1960s and was reportedly told that Ferrari might be interested in a takeover by the Americans. In 1963, with negotiations well underway, a delegation of Ford executives travelled to Maranello, Italy, to discuss the details of the deal with Il Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari himself. Enzo Ferrari snarled that Ford would never be allowed to buy Ferrari as the American carmaker demanded full control over Ferrari’s racing team and its open-wheel racing activities, something he simply refused to give up. And with that, the deal fell apart, and the Americans were sent packing.

That sparked one of the greatest rivalries in the history of endurance racing, and one that ended Ferrari’s dominance at Le Mans. Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ferrari was in total control of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. It claimed victory in the first post-war edition in 1949, then again in 1954 and in 1958, before winning six times in a row from 1960 to 1965. Ferrari seemed to be unbeatable at the famous French track, but as Ford was bluntly told to sod-off and the intended deal fell through, a plan was hatched to beat Ferrari where it would hurt the most: Le Mans.

With the incident in Maranello between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford still angering the American, he directed his own racing division to start the development of a racing car capable of not only competing at Le Mans but also winning at Le Mans. Ford invited several constructors to co-develop such a car, including Lotus, Lola and Cooper. Eventually, Lola was selected, as they already had endurance racing experience and used a Ford V8 in the MK6, or Lola GT as it’s also known. Development on the new car started in 1963, with Lola supplying the chassis and Ford’s new FAV (Ford Advanced Vehicles) division pretty much taking care of the rest. The very first chassis, designated GT/101, was unveiled in April 1964, with Ford’s 289ci (4.7 litre) V8 in the rear.

A month later, the Ford GT40 (with 40 indicating the total height of the car in inches) made its debut at the Nürburgring 1000km. Sadly, it had to retire due to suspension issues. Ford then moved to Le Mans with three cars, all of which sadly failed to make the full 24 hours of the race. The 1964 season went on pretty much like that, with no notable achievements coming from the new car. By the end of the year, the project was handed over to Carroll Shelby of Shelby American to see if he could improve the car and bring it to victory.

Shelby’s first victory with the GT40 came in his first race as manager of the Ford GT program, with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby winning the Daytona 2000km race in February 1965. Although a second-place finish at the Sebring 12 Hours proved the car’s potential, the 1965 season still saw the cars dealing with development issues. Luck would change when Shelby and Ford switched to the 427ci or 7.0 litre V8s to power the GT40 MKII. It immediately won again at Daytona, now in the 24-hour race format for the first time ever, showing the car could indeed survive the ordeal of a round-the-clock endurance race. Just like at Daytona, the GT40 MKII came in first, second and third at Sebring again, before moving to Le Mans in June of that year. Astonishingly, the GT40 achieved yet another podium lock-out at the famous French event, with Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren taking home the win, followed by Ken Miles and Denny Hulme in second place, and Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson coming in third. The way Ford orchestrated the 1-2-3 result, however, has gone down in history as one of the most controversial finishes in the legendary event.

Following that maiden win, Ford went on to blitz the opposition three more times in 1967, 1968 and 1969. Funnily enough, the first win came by the GT40 MKII, the second win by the much more aerodynamic GT40 MKIV, and the third and fourth win by the MKI. And speaking of the MKI, this is also where the GT Roadster Competition Prototype comes in! It might not be the best-known chapter in the GT40’s history to the majority of people, but an important one! Ford developed an X-1 Roadster in 1965 to be entered into the North American Pro Series, a precursor to the legendary Can-Am series. That specific car served as a test bed for several components, such as manual and automatic gearboxes, but also a lightweight aluminium chassis. Although the X-1 was a one-off and ordered to be destroyed by US customs officials over a tariff issue, it was part of a group of five GT Roadsters built.

This 1965 Ford GT Roadster Competition Prototype, chassis GT/109, which you see in the images, is one of the original 12 prototypes built by Ford between January 1964 and April 1965. It is one of the only two surviving roadsters out of the five that were built, with the other being chassis GT/108. Among the changes between the coupes and this roadster, apart from chopping the roof, is a three-inch longer tubular chassis, and while it appears identical to the GT/108 chassis, the GT/109 also comes with a removable rollover section. It was delivered to Shelby American in March of 1965 with the intent to prepare it for that year’s Le Mans race. As a result, it received updates based on the modifications used on the GT40 that gave Ford its maiden win at Daytona.

These updates included magnesium Halibrand wheels, a new air dam up front, sidemounted engine oil radiators, additional rear ventilation, a higher rear spoiler, and so on. Also noteworthy is the Cobra-spec 289ci (4.7 litre) V8 engine, mated to a ZF 5-speed gearbox. Both engine and gearbox are period correct to what the car would run back in its day, although they have been rebuilt. It’s also fitted with the ‘Bundle of Snakes’ exhaust manifold used in the development of the car. It also sits on period-correct magnesium Halibrand wheels, and is finished in the Ford of France colourscheme it raced with.

The GT/109 car was one of the six cars entered into the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours race, and the only open-top GT40 to ever do so. Its racing number changed from 9 to 15, and as mentioned, it was finished in Ford of France’s cream white with blue livery. As drivers, Ford hired Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier, but the adventure was short-lived, as the car retired very early in the race. On lap 11, the gearbox broke down and the car was out of the race. Fun fact: one of the doors was loaned to a sister-car, after losing one in the race, so at least a part of the GT/109 made it further than 11 laps. The car was later returned to Shelby American to be rebuilt following the Le Mans race for further development. In this second lease on life, it served as a developmental testing vehicle for the legendary J-car, the GT40 MKIV, with which Ford won Le Mans in 1966.

After retiring from its racing and development careers, it was sold to Hollywood stuntman and car customizer Dean Jeffries. Jeffries found little time for his personal projects over those for clients, so it remained parked for 30 years. It was restored by Jeffries in the late 1990s and eventually sold to Dana Mecum, the president and founder of Mecum Auctions, in 2013. Professional restoration specialist Harley Cluxton III was enlisted to bring the GT/109 back to concours standard, including the original Ford of France livery from 1965. It won 2nd in class at Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in 2016, coming in behind the 1966 Le Mans-winning GT40 MKII. It is now up for auction at Mecum, going across the block on May 17th in the auction house’s Indy 2025 event. No reserve or estimate is communicated at this time, but I’m pretty sure this will soar! It is, after all, one of the rarest iterations of one of the greatest racing cars ever made!

For more information, please visit Mecum.com.

Editorial Note: Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions Inc. unless stated otherwise. The images and information for this story are provided by, and used with permission of, Mecum Auctions Inc.