There will likely never be another car that captures the same folklore-status insanity as the original Ford GT40. It’s a machine built on a foundation of pure, unadulterated spite. After Enzo Ferrari famously told Henry Ford II to “go take a hike” during a failed acquisition, Ford decided to spend the next five years trying to steal Ferrari’s lunch money at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Now, a genuine piece of that vengeful history has emerged from a private seller in Hermosa Beach, California. Listed on eBay for a staggering $2,500,000, this 1965 GT40 Mk I represents the era before the trophies and the Hollywood movies. A time when Carroll Shelby and his team were essentially stuffing 4.7-liter V8 engines from Mustangs into low-slung prototypes and praying they didn’t explode.
To satisfy the FIA’s strict homologation regulations, Ford had to build at least 50 of these beasts, but the early road to glory was paved with humiliation. In 1965, none of the five Ford GT40 entries managed to even cross the finish line at Le Mans. It was a failure so total it would make a modern engineer lose their mind. Of course, we know how the story ends: Carroll Shelby eventually refined the car into the Mk II, swapped in a massive 427 cubic-inch V8, and began a decade-long streak of making Ferrari cry.
This specific Mk I is a meticulously restored time capsule from that “trial and error” period. Every single nut and bolt is either brand-new old stock or fully reconditioned. It even predates the quirky 1969 victory by John Wyer’s private team. For the price of two and a half million dollars, you could buy a private island and retire comfortably for the rest of your life. Or, you could spend it all on a car that once symbolized Ford’s obsession with beating an Italian patriarch at his own game.
