VIN: the ex-Shelby / Rob Walker / Gulf Racing Ford GT40 Mk1 chassis P/1004-P/1084
History of chassis P/1004 / P/1084
Chassis P/1004 was an early Mk1 GT40 allocated to Ford’s six-car attack at the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Following preparation by Shelby in California (completed May 5th 1965), it ran at Le Mans in the dark blue and white colours of the Rob Walker Racing Team. Like fellow racing team patron, Georges Filipinetti over in Switzerland (under whose entry sister car P/1005 ran), Walker agreed to come into the Ford fold for Le Mans thinking a potential victory might be on the cards.
Both P/1004 and P/1005 attended Le Mans with pointy Mk1 Prototype-style noses while P/1006 (a Ford Advanced Vehicles entry from England) had by this time adopted the flat-fronted Mk1 production-style nose.
Ahead of the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours, Bob Bondurant and Umberto Maglioli qualified P/1004 in third spot behind the pole-starting seven-litre Ford Mk2 Prototype and a works Ferrari P3.
In the race, Bondurant got a great start and initially jumped up to second. He had dropped back to fourth at the end of the first hour (now behind the pairing of lead 7-litre Mk2s and a works P3). Unfortunately, as the end of the second hour approached, Bondurant’s engine began to belch smoke and steam. Soon afterwards, the head gasket blew. P/1004 retired from the race on lap 29.
All six GT40s failed to finish in what proved an embarrassing exercise for Ford.
Afterwards, P/1004 departed for the USA where it joined the Cobra Caravan that toured the US to celebrate Shelby’s 1965 World Sportscar Championship-winning campaign with the Cobra Daytona Coupe. At various times, P/1004 appeared alongside other notable models like the Ford Mustang, Shelby Cobra 427, Shelby GT350-R, Holman-Moody’s Ford Galaxie 500 NASCAR and the Ford-powered Lotus 38 Indy winner.
Upon its return to FAV in 1966, P/1004 sat unused for a couple of years and was most likely stripped of useful parts. The car was then inherited by John Wyer Automotive Engineering when it superseded FAV following Ford’s exit after Le Mans ‘66.
Wyer eventually had P/1084 undergo a ground-up rebuild to the latest Group 4 specification over the spring of 1968 in order to contest that year’s Spa 1000km race as two of his primary race chassis for the year were undergoing preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours set to follow three weeks later). As it transpired, civil unrest in France saw the ‘68 Le Mans put pack to September.
Nevertheless, P/1004 (which was re-numbered P/1084 as part of the major upgrade to the latest racing specification) got to make its appearance at Spa. Paul Hawkins and David Hobbs put the Gulf Oil-backed car eighth on the grid in qualifying and finished fourth while GT40 team-mates Ickx and Redman won from a brace of works Porsches..
P/1084 was sold to Rodney Clarke in 1970. He kept it until 1981, at which point the car departed for Martin Colvill (who retained P/1084 until the 1990s). After that it became parted of Anthony Bamford’s collection.
Notable History
03/05/1965 dispatched to Shelby American, California, for Le Mans preparation
Dark Blue & White livery (Rob Walker Racing Cars entry)
20/06/1965 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (B. Bondurant / U. Maglioli) DNF (#7)
Used for the Ford / Shelby Caravan Tour
1966 returned to Ford Advanced Vehicles, Slough
Inherited by John Wyer Automotive Engineering (Gulf Racing)
1968 uprated to Group 4 specification and re-numbered P/1084
26/05/1968 WSC Spa 1000km (P. Hawkins / D. Hobbs) 4th oa, 2nd S5.0 class (#34)
1970 sold to Rodney Clarke UK
1981 sold to Martin Colvill, UK
1990s sold to Anthony Bamford, UK
