LE MANS' FORD GT40 SELLS FOR US$11 MILLION

This was no ordinary GT 40, though, as it not only had racing provenance in the hands of the likes of Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman, Mike Hailwood and Dick Thompson, but also served as a camera car for the iconic 1971 Steve McQueen movie, 'Le Mans'.

The auctioned GT40 originally started life as a Mirage in 1967, and in this form with Jacky Ickx and Dick Thompson at the wheel, recorded the first race win for the distinctive pale blue and orange Gulf colours, officially referred to as 'Powder Blue' and 'Marigold'.

A conversion to GT40-spec by John Wyer Automotive (J.W.A.) in the UK was brought about by changes in regulations for prototypes and Group 4 sports cars, with the Mirage reconfigured to suit the latter, and reborn as GT40 P/1074 for the 1968 racing season.

This car was also the first of three built using what was then experimental carbon fibre technology to reinforce the bodywork. This vehicle is the only one of the three produced by J.W.A. still in existence.

A win at the Monza 1000 race was the only notable victory for P/1074, but it did place in the top ten in a number of short and endurance races throughout the 1968 and '69 season, before it was purchased from J.W.A. by an American, David Brown, in 1970.

Brown leased the car to Steve McQueen's Solar Productions that same year, where the GT40 served as a camera car. The reason for this apparently came through McQueen's insistence that the cars be filmed at speed. Thus, a car was needed that could keep up with the Ferrari 512s and Porsche 917s that were the 'stars' of the film.

Cut down to a roadster and carrying four heavy film cameras, the GT40's aerodynamics and performance were heavily compromised, reportedly making it hard to control at the 150 mph speeds required to film the actual race cars. Despite this, P/1074 served its duty for five months of shooting.

Soon after shooting for Le Mans had wrapped, the GT40 was sold, eventually returning to the UK in 1972, where it was restored, including the fitting of a replacement roof and doors. P/1074 passed through a few more owners following that restoration, and appeared at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2003 and 2004, and, with another owner, won its class at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 2009.

During its racing career, this GT40 was fitted with a variety of Ford engines, including a 289, 302, 305 and 351, but was auctioned with a period-correct Ford 289 V8, fitted with Gurney-Weslake heads, four Weber carbs, 351 oil pump, and Aviaid oil pan, running to a ZF five-speed manual transmission.

Whether it was P/1074's credentials as a winning racer, as the camera car for the legendary Steve McQueen film, or its meticulous restoration in J.W.A./Gulf livery, or perhaps a combination of all these factors, the final sale price of US$11,000,000 was truly remarkable.

The result sets a new benchmark, with GT40 P/1074 now officially the highest selling "American" car sold at auction.

Other sale highlights from the Friday at RM Auctions' Monterey sale included US$8.25 million for a Ferrari 410 S, and US$5.17 million for a Pebble Beach concours-winning 1938 Horch 853A Special Roadster. Both these prices were new records for each respective model.

For full details and further results from RM Auctions' 2012 Monterey auction, go to www.rmauctions.com