RM Auctions, a specialty automotive auction house, will put two Ford GT40 sports cars up for sale on Aug. 17 and 18.
The cars, both made in the 1960's, represent Ford's introduction into the racing world. The car manufacturer began attempting to win the Le Mans 24 Hours race in France in the 60's. At first, they tried to do this by acquiring Ferrari, which had dominated sports-car racing. However, the sale fell through.
Following the failed transaction, Ford chose to build their own racecar, which resulted in the creation of the GT40. The car was successful in winning the Le Mans from 1966 to 1969. Ford also sold GT40s privately and built others for to be used as road cars. Before production ended in 1969, 133 cars had been produced.
One car up for auction was made for racing while the other was a road car. The racecar, made in 1968, competed in many races including the Le Mans and Daytona, but never won. It was driven in the 196 Le Mans trials but driver Jacky Ickx. But when Ickx won Le Mans the following year, he was in a different car.
While it was never a winning car, it did serve as a camera car for the 1971 racing film Le Mans by Steve McQueen, a fact certain to raise the value of the automobile.
The road car is a 1967 GT40, one of just 31 road cars produced by Ford. It is estimated to garner between $2.3 and $2.7 million in auction.
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