By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, Craigslist

I’m really a bit of a purest in most every instance; in fact our company’s president even called me an obsessive something or another just this morning over some Cobra wheels. So when this MkI GT40 came to my attention, I really couldn’t figure out why it was so pleasing to my eye, as it exhibits a number of features not seen on original GTs.

The GT seen here on Sacramento Craigslist was originally manufactured around 2004 by GT Developments, a U.K.-based company who built GT40 replicas since at least the early 1990s through the early 2000s. This one presents quite well, too, having covered less than 4,000 miles in the last 16 years. Titled as a 1965 Ford, the owner states that the car is reliable and ready to drive anywhere.

There are no qualms to be made about the car’s mechanical configuration either, as it’s powered by an appropriate Ford small-block, a 347ci stroker in this case, that the owner puts around 500 hp. That's no small claim, but we can see that the engine’s a full roller setup, with an eight-stack style EFI system, Holman-Moody valve covers and an MSD ignition system. We can also see Spax coilovers, four-wheel discs with dual power masters and a Renault UN1 five-speed transaxle in left-hand shift configuration. Interested parties should do a little digging on the transaxle, as the UN1-026 and -027 units were rated for 295 lb-ft in stock configuration, while some other units like the -016 may only be rated for 232 lb-ft.

Moving on to cosmetics, we start to find a few features that differ from the GT’s standard formula. First off, there are two Gurney bubbles on the roof of this GT, a feature I can only recall seeing once before on a GT40 New Zealand car on Bring a Trailer. While it may be eye-catching for contested reasons, I’m sure it provides some nice headroom inside for two tall passengers.

On the exterior we find a pleasing shade of burgundy, which seems to do all the right things on the MkI body. It also plays well with the white stripes, but I might have chosen to carry the bottom white stripe all the way across, eliminating the Ford GT40 logo, as it's a bit different than the originals — just personal preference. The wheels are more than adequate for the job, but some original Halibrand-style units, or BRMs, would really pull this car together.

Moving onto the interior, we can see the builder went with a mix of nostalgic and contemporary design cues. The dials and switches all look appropriate, and bonus points, again, for the left-hand gearshift. There’s also functional heat and A/C worked in seamlessly, in addition to an alleged radio and CD changer that we can see no evidence of. Additional points awarded for tying in some creature comforts without detracting from the GT’s timeless interior.

But the elephant in the room, is the color of course, as almost every GT40 interior I’ve ever laid eyes on was all black. However, I just can’t bring myself to dislike the offbeat cream and red upholstery in the cockpit, and not the red carpet either. In fact, I really kinda dig it. It has all the attractiveness of a standard GT40, but with a little road-going sports car flair worked in.

I'm all for doing your own thing, especially when it comes to replicas, just know that it might limit your pool of interested buyers. And speaking of values, the seller is asking a cool $90,000 for this GT40, putting it in the lower third of the GT market. The seller reports that the car has some visible wear, and we'll add that the wheels and custom touches will also factor into the value, but you wouldn't think this car is too far off the mark. However, some comparable GT Developments cars have traded hands for around $70,000, so I guess all bets are off.

See the GT Developments Ford GT here on Sacramento Craigslist.