Ultimate Ford GT40 – The Definitive History (Volume 1)

A chassis-by-chassis history of the Ford GT40 in incredible detail – the ultimate reference source for any GT40 enthusiast or owner.

Limited to 750 copies. Printed and bound in Great Britain.

‘Truly an epic work!' Brian Redman

‘The definitive book of the Ford GT40s by chassis number. A masterpiece of accurate research' Jackie Oliver

• Full chronological chassis records for every GT40, plus competition histories and results tables.
• Over 1,300 photographs, many showing unique identifying features of individual chassis.
• The result of over 46 years of research by Ronnie Spain, the world’s leading authority on the GT40.
• Large format, lavish production and individually numbered.
• The definitive record of each and every original GT40 built.

The GT40 is the Ford that beat Ferrari, recording four consecutive Le Mans victories between 1966 and 1969. This book is the first of four volumes which will provide the most detailed and comprehensive study of the GT40 ever undertaken.

Written by renowned GT40 expert Ronnie Spain, Volume 1 provides detailed chassis records, competition histories and photos for every car built, covering them in unprecedented detail over 576 large-format pages. It includes the prototypes, roadsters, production GT40s, Mark IIs, Mark IIIs, Alan Mann cars, Mirages, J-cars and Mark IVs, in addition to details of seven original unnumbered ‘spare’ chassis.

This is the ultimate reference source for any GT40 enthusiast or owner.

More about this book

Over 46 years of research by author Ronnie Spain have gone into this book. His obsession with the GT40 began in 1978 and since then he has amassed a vast archive of information and photographs relating to the cars. He has become the world’s foremost expert on the cars, called upon by the GT40 community and prospective purchasers to confirm the identity of any GT40, using his forensic approach and incomparable records.

The book has an entry for each chassis beginning with outline details of it when it was built, along with a table showing the ownership history. A full chronological history is then provided, illustrated with both colour and black-and-white photographs. For chassis with competition history, a comprehensive results table is provided detailing every period event in which the car competed, listing the car’s race number, driver(s), qualifying and race results, and notes.

This much-anticipated book paves the way for three subsequent volumes telling the story of the GT40 in unparalleled detail. From its roots in the early 1960s through the challenges of its formative racing career, to its triumphs at Le Mans, every aspect of the GT40 and its remarkable history will be documented and analysed.

The in-depth story will be told with the aid of a wealth of previously unpublished documentation and photographs from the Ford archive in addition to information from sources such as Shelby American, Holman-Moody, JW Automotive and FAV, and a stunning selection of imagery from previously untapped sources.

Volumes 2, 3 and 4 are being researched and written by a team of the world’s foremost GT40 authorities, including Mark Cole, Graham Endeacott, John S Allen and Mike Teske. Together the four volumes will provide the ultimate insight into the iconic Ford, and throw new light on many of the mysteries and controversies surrounding these revered cars.

Specification

• Limited edition of 750  copies
• Size: 340mm x 245mm
• Hardback
• 576 pages
• Over 1300 images
• Price: £325.00
• ISBN: 978-1-913089-71-9
• Publisher: Porter Press International
• Publication date: December 2024
• Author: Ronnie Spain

The author – Ronnie Spain

Ronnie Spain, a lorry driver by profession, began his obsession with GT40s in the late seventies, at a time when they were just old cars lying around, often without chassis plates, and referred to according to their history – for example: ‘The Hawkins car’ (AM GT2); ‘The Filipinetti car’ (1033); or ‘The seven-liter car’ (1012, at that time being rebuilt). As a self-confessed ‘data junkie’, he took an interest in identifying the cars and in the end became the individual on Earth who has seen more GT40s than anybody else – in fact, all of the survivors except five, those being, according to Ronnie, 1038, 1052, 1068, M3/1105 and AM GT-1, and he says he has not given up on ticking those off his list too! The GT40 community has welcomed Ronnie, sometimes affectionately calling him ‘a nuisance’, because he has asked so many questions and loved things being accurate and correct. In doing this, he has gained a lot of supporting friends, and also some very determined enemies when he wouldn’t simply accept their ‘stories’ and unhesitatingly fought back against their false rewritings of history. More importantly for history, he has amassed an immense documentation and photo archive, and his forensic approach has enabled him to confirm the correct identity for several cars which had lost their provenance. This volume represents in great part his life quest, to the point that it is literally the core of his identity – as any of his family members and friends will confirm, from having had to listen to him talk about his obsession over the years!