GT40 50th Anniversary By Shelby
It's been 50 years since Henry Ford's
will to beat Ferrari at its own game was vindicated in the world's greatest
endurance race.
To celebrate the GT40 win at the 1966 24
Hours of Le Mans, Superformance teamed up with Shelby American to create the
GT40 MKII 50th Anniversary replica.
Just 20 units will be produced, each
nearly identical to the 1966 GT40 Le Mans racer. As a matter of fact, about 90
per cent of the parts in Superformance's car are interchangeable with genuine
models, including the steel monocoque that, in its day, had twice the torsional
strength of Formula 1 cars.
In order to ensure its sports cars are
as close to the real thing as possible, all 20 units will be right hand drive
and have a manual transmission. As with most replicas, and there are plenty of
them out there, customers are able to install an engine of their choice, though
Superformance recommends a Shelby 427 FE V8.
Unlike the racing car it is inspired by,
the GT40 MKII 50th Anniversary comes with some modern features like Bilstein
shocks and H&R springs, an adjustable pedal box and air conditioning.
Three different paint schemes will be
offered, all with an Anniversary badge. The Bruce McLaren Edition is black with
silver stripes, the Ken Miles blue with white stripes and the Dan Gurney mostly
red with a number of white stripes.
