Lot 216: 2006 CAV GT40

Long before the days of telemetry, the Sixties produced some fantastic GT racing cars; the drivers would sprint across the track at Le Mans for the start of the famous 24 hour race. To many, this was the greatest decade in motor racing history. This era brought about the most beautifully styled race-bred high performance cars ever seen. Mid-engine configuration began to dominate in World Sports Car Championship racing just as it had in Formula One. Some of these race cars were adapted for road use and with shattering performance and race car handling, they can still out perform many of today's supercars. These '60s originals have become collectibles and in some cases command price tags in the millions, way out of reach to most enthusiasts. The CAV GT40 offers an affordable opportunity to live ones dream in a beautiful recreation of a 1960s classic without having to build a kit; it is for the enthusiast whose desire is to own a classic Sixties-style sports racer, but who lacks the expertise, facilities or the hundreds of hours it takes to build a kit. Designed and manufactured in Cape Town, South Africa, the CAV GT40 by California Advanced Vehicles is one of the world's finest street legal road/race cars. It captures all the passion of that exciting era. Owen Ashley, Chief of Engineering and Development at CAV, the former head of research and development at Toyota Racing Europe, brings to CAV years of race car design, development and manufacturing. He has assembled a dedicated team to produce a rolling chassis with all the essential qualities of the original but with subtle enhancements which only improve on what was already a superb automobile. Interested parties should note that this not a kit car. It is a fully-assembled, factory-built and painted 'turn key' motor car. It is complete in every regard. The quality of the materials and construction is comparable to that of the world's most expensive sports cars. The brakes comprise a dual circuit, front-rear split system incorporating servo assistance, tandem master cylinders, proportioning valve, 11.375in ventilated discs all round with a separate handbrake caliper at the rear. The wheels are BRM-style, knock-off, alloy pin-drive replicas, 8in x 15in front and 10in x 15in rear. Like the original Ford GT40, this reincarnation has original style fuel filler caps together with a total fuel capacity of 20 US gallons and individual electric pumps, filters and dashboard changeover switch. An eight-branch exhaust manifold with two collectors, silencer and stainless steel heat shield provide the soundtrack from the Ford V8 which pushes out some 375bhp via the five speed Getrag gearbox. The interior has had a similar amount of time and attention to detail attributed to it, featuring original instruments, seats and '60s feel high quality carpets. Included is also a neatly concealed air-conditioning unit. Those of you lucky enough to have piloted one of the original beasts will appreciate the benefit that this modern addition can provide. The vendor originally bought all four right-hand drive cars from CAV, the rest of production being destined for America; originally the order was for one car but CAV only make batches of four so, instead of waiting, he got some friends involved and bought all four. Fully British-registered and ready to go, this extremely well put together tribute to Ford's mighty Ferrari beater is possibly the best value for money supercar on the market.