<VV> Builders of Ford GT's

[Jim Davis]

As usual you are correct.  My observations stems from a 1991 visit to 
H&M where they rebuilding a GT Mark IV for the Ford Museum in their show 
room. At that time the tour guide stated the the were again building GT 
Mark II cars.   My old memory just just remembered incorrectly. On 
checking the facts, I humbly retract my embellishment of the part H&M 
played in building the Ford GT Mark II, III and IV.

/*1991*////Road Racing The first of the continued production GT MKIIs, 
chassis P201, is shown in incomplete form at the Shelby American 
Automobile Club convention (SAAC 16) in Charlotte, NC. An article 
featuring the continued production cars and chassis P201 appears in the 
November 1991 issue of "Mustang & Fords". //
//
//*1997*////Holman Moody and Holman Automotive, continue to operate out 
of the same 75,000 square foot facility next to Charlotte-Douglas 
Airport. We are currently building the GT MKII, performing mechanical 
restorations on other GTs and other Ford powered race cars, building 
engines for the Woods Brothers NASCAR team as well as other customers, 
and grinding cams for many NASCAR teams and customers. See the list of 
"Services" for a complete description of what we can do for you! Future 
plans include the prospect of a Holman Moody racing museum. Road 
RacingGT MKII chassis P201 will be running at SAAC-22 (Elkhart Lake, WI)./

Sorry for the confusion.
Jim Davis

On 4/15/2015 10:07 PM, James P. Rice via VirtualVairs wrote:
> "By the way H&M were the original builders of the Ford GT-40 Mark II, III,
> and IV.   They are still building the
> continuation series of the GT-40 Mark II. As of 2011, they still offed tours
> of the facility."
>
> Jim:  I do not believe this is correct information, not that most VV readers
> really care...VBG!!!
>
> While wildly abused nomenclature today, back in the day only the small block
> cars were GT40s.  They were all built by Ford Advance Vehicles or JW
> Automotive in England.  Including the Ford GT Mk III.  It was meant to be a
> streetable version of the GT40.  It had 4 head lights and an extended tail
> which could actually hold a normal suitcase or two.  Not many of them were
> made.
>
> The Ford Mk II's and the Ford Mk IV's were all 427 cid engined cars and were
> built by Ford's Kar Kraft division in SE Michigan.  HM & Shelby American did
> final assembly and raced them as two independent teams.  Until the FIA
> changed the rules making them ineligible for FIA Endurance racing at the end
> of the 1967 season.
>
> The small block GT40 were still eligible, which allowed JWA to race them in
> 1968-69.  One of their cars, chassis 1075, won LeMans two years in a row,
> which had never been done before.   Porsche repeated the feat, but I don't
> remember if it was with a 956 or 962.
>
> HM got the manufacturing right for spares from Ford, and began building new
> Mk II's.  Sales have been very disappointing according to the HM
> representative I talked to at Rd America a few years ago when they had a car
> there for the July vintage race.
>
> A English company named Safir Engineering got the rights to the GT40 small
> block cars in the early 80's.  They called them the Ford Mk V. There are now
> two or three companies making the small block cars.   And a couple trying to
> make the big block cars, especially the Mk IV, but with little sales
> success.
>
>
> I worked the summer of 1966 at Ford's Rouge plant on the hot test stand.  We
> occasionally got a 427 with dual quads to run.  Everybody know when they
> fired up.  Now that I think of it, maybe I can sue Ford for the ringing in
> my ears I now have.  Probably not....
>
> Historically Yours,
>                            James Rice
>
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