VIN: the Guy Ligier / Jean-Michel Giorgi Ford GT40 Mk1 chassis P/1003
History of chassis P/1003
Chassis P/1003 was the Mk1 GT40 sold to French industrialist and racing driver, Guy Ligier.
Ligier tentatively began competing in the late 1950s (on both two wheels and four), but it wasn’t until after establishing his construction company in 1960 (Ligier Travaux Public) that he really began to amass the kind of funds required to take motor sport seriously.
Within a short space of time, Ligier Travaux Public had over 1000 employees and was undertaking major road, bridge and dam developments on behalf of the French government.
The 1964 season saw Ligier pick up drives for the French Porsche importer, Auguste Veuillet, for whom he piloted a 904 to victory at the Montlhery Coupes Vitesse and won his class at the Le Mans 24 Hours (driving alongside Robert Buchet where they finished seventh overall).
Ligier purchased chassis P/1003 for the 1965 season. It was prepared on his behalf by Ford France and always appeared in the company’s white, red and blue colour scheme.
Although P/1003 failed to finish on its maiden outing at the Nurburgring 1000km on May 23rd where Ligier shared the car with Maurice Trintignant (the result of a broken engine mount), the rest of the 1965 season proved enormously successful.
Ligier won the Cognac Trophy at Magny Cours (July 18th) and took class wins at Chamrousse (August 1st) and Mont Dore (August 15th), both of which were part of the 1965 French Hillclimb Championship.
Ligier then took another win in P/1003 at the non-championship Albi Grand Prix on September 26th.
During the winter of 1965-1966, P/1003 was sent back to Ford Advanced Vehicles in Slough where it was overhauled in anticipation of the forthcoming season and rebuilt with new production spec. front bodywork.
Meanwhile, Ford France took delivery of their own Mk1 GT40 ahead of the ‘66 season (chassis P/1007) in which Ligier would go on to frequently appear.
As a consequence of P/1007’s arrival, Ligier ran P/1003 in just three events during 1966 prior to selling the car on. He initially contested the Rallye de l’Ouest between March 19th and 20th (finishing ninth) and the Rallye du Limousin between March 26th and 27th (result unknown). At both events he was accompanied by Martial Delalande. Five weeks later, Ligier and Jo Schlesser appeared at the Nurburgring 1000km where they finished an impressive fifth overall to win the over three-litre Sports category.
Guy Ligier subsequently sold chassis P/1003 to fellow Ford France drive, Jean-Michel Giorgi.
For the next 18 months, Giorgi continued to have Ford France maintain and prepare the GT40, during which time he picked up a number of impressive results with the car.
Having placed sixth overall on his debut with P/1003 at the 1966 Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Trophy (June 26th), Giorgi most notably went on to finish fifth overall and first in class on the 1967 Targa Florio, which he followed up with a seventh place finish overall and class win at the Nurburgring 1000km two weeks later. On both occasions Giorgi was co-driven by Henri Greder.
For the 1968 season, Jean-Michel Giorgi acquired a new Lola T70 Mk3 GT which he purchased from Robs Lamplough in the UK using P/1003 as a part-exchange. Lamplough in turn passed the car on to Clive Young who in 1969 sold it to Guy Templin.
Templin undertook a couple of minor club level events in Britain during the 1969 season, after which P/1003 passed through the hands of several owners before finding its way to Robert Horne in 1973.
Robert Horne subsequently retained the GT40 for the next three decades.
Notable History
Guy Ligier, Vichy (Ford France entry)
Registered JBH 373C
23/05/1965 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (M. Trintignant / G. Ligier) DNF (#16)
18/07/1965 IND Magny-Cours Cognac Trophy (G. Ligier) 1st oa (#47)
01/08/1965 FMC Chamrousse (G. Ligier) 1st in class (#30)
15/08/1965 FMC Mont Dore (G. Ligier) 1st in class (#108)
29/08/1965 WSC Ollon-Villars Hillclimb (G. Ligier) DNS (#191)
26/09/1965 IND Albi GP (G. Ligier) 1st oa (#60)
Rebuilt with standard Mk1 bodywork
19-20/03/1966 IND Rallye de l'Ouest (G. Ligier / M. Delalande) 9th oa (#1)
26-27/03/1966 IND Rallye du Limousin (G. Ligier / M. Delalande) ran (#1)
05/06/1966 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (J. Schlesser / G. Ligier) 5th oa, 1st S3.0+ class (#45)
Sold to Jean-Michel Giorgi, Paris (Ford France entry)
26/06/1966 IND Auvergne Trophy, Clermont-Ferrand (J.M. Giorgi) 6th oa (#88)
25/09/1966 IND Montlhery Coupes de Paris (J.M. Giorgi) DNF (#??) Ford France
25/04/1967 WSC Monza 1000km (H. Greder / J.M. Giorgi) DNF (#34)
14/05/1967 WSC Targa Florio (H. Greder / J.M. Giorgi) 5th oa, 1st S2.0+ class (#130)
28/05/1967 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (H. Greder / J.M. Giorgi) 7th oa, 1st S3.0+ class (#61)
25/06/1967 IND Reims 12 Hours (H. Greder / J.M. Giorgi) DNF (#15)
16/07/1967 IND Magny-Cours Criterium de Vitesse (J.M. Giorgi) 2nd oa, 2nd SP1.3+ class (#92)
15/10/1967 IND Paris 1000km, Montlhery (J.P. Jabouille / J.M. Giorgi) DNF (#4)
Part-exchanged with Robs Lamplough for a Lola T70 Mk3 GT
Sold to Clive Young
Sold to Guy Templin
Several more owners
1973 sold to Robert Horne and retained for more than three decades
