A piece posted on MotorMartin a few short months ago titled, 2005 Ford GT40, The Blue Collar SuperCar: Save Me, I’m Yours looked at the history and journey from Ford’s original, world famous 1960s race cars, to the stunning rebirth of the GT40 in the early 2000s and got those of us based here at the Towers checking the small adds in the hope of finding a bargain. Unfortunately though it would appear that there’s no such thing as a bargain Ford GT…
News that a high performance 2005 Ford GT, first owned by British racing driver Jenson Button MBE has arrived up on the top floor and caused quite a stir. The car, MotorMartin has been informed recently, will be offered at auction in a line-up of the finest classic and sports cars on the market at Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Classic Car Sale.
Rather incredibly, this very special Ford GT is one of five vehicles, out of only 101 supplied to Europe, that were marked ‘VIP’ by the Ford National Sales Company. Ford of Britain then allocated this particular vehicle to F1 world champion Jenson Button MBE in May 2005, who took delivery through Swiss Ford GT dealer Grimm in Geneva in August 2005. The car was subsequently UK registered in 2006.
“The Ford GT is part of a rare class of modern cars that instantly become collectable, and have become more and more sought after,” explained Will Smith, sales manager, Silverstone Auctions to MotorMartin recently.
“Given its inimitable heritage, prolific performance, stunning design, and thrilling driving experience, the Ford GT is a very special creation that will undoubtedly be revered for many years to come. In addition, it was once Jenson Button’s very own, adding even more exciting provenance and collectability to this particular example.” Absolutely.
With a pre-auction estimate of £250,000 to £300,000, the ultra-high performance Ford GT showcases the finest in advanced technologies, constructed on a lightweight aluminium chassis coated in superplastic-formed lightweight composite and aluminium body panels, finished in the evocative colour combination of white with blue racing stripes.
Powered by a mid-mounted, hand-built, supercharged quad-cam 550bhp V8 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transaxle and featuring racing-derived suspension and braking systems, the GT delivers astounding power and performance, travelling from 0-60 seconds in approximately 3.5 seconds, with a maximum speed of 205mph before the speed limiter kicks in. Excellent.
Silverstone Auctions have explained to MotorMartin that later in this car’s life, it was acquired by the current owner in 2011 and today reads just 8,350 miles and will be supplied with a history file including stamps and invoices from ‘Mountune‘ and two services by Ford GT experts GT101, as well as copies of the order form signed by Mr Button.
In further good news, prior to the auction, the car will be delivered to GT101 for a fresh service and check over. Prospective bidders are welcomed to contact Silverstone Auctions to arrange early viewings.
To find out more about this 2005 Ford GT and Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Classic Car Sale, please visit http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/2005-ford-gt—ex-jenson-button-mbe and MotorMartin certainly recommends that you do. What a stunning car.
Where will you go?