Equipment
RHD. Small-block Ford V-8 with Gurney Weslake aluminum heads, quadruple Webers, 5-speed, gold wheels, Dunlop Racing tires, Nardi woodrim steering wheel.
Condition
#3 Good
Runs and drives well. Flaws not noticeable to passersby. Most common condition.
Conceived by Carroll Shelby, looking for a replacement for the Cooper Monaco-based King Cobra in the USRRC (and later Can-Am), and Alejandro de Tomaso. Peter Brock sketched out the body, including a cutting edge adjustable rear wing, and Fantuzzi built it with Brock's input. Finding a 7-liter engine proved troublesome so it wouldn't be competitive in Can-Am, and it was ineligible for racing in the more restrictive series in Europe, and as Shelby got the opportunity to take the reins of the GT40 program he ditched the DeTomaos project. DeTomaso then showed it at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. In the DeTomaso factory until 2004, then restored from then until 2016. Not overdone, essentially restored to race car condition. There is some paint coming off rivets, electrical tape around some wires, and imperfect panel fit. Lightly worn seats. A wild-looking car and an interesting “what-if” piece of DeTomaso and sports car racing history.
Market commentary
The history is intriguing and the looks are fantastic, but this car was ultimately a dead end that never did anything for either Shelby or DeTomaso. It's hard to place a value on such a thing, and a room full of bidders with their own opinions and deep enough pockets to back them up is probably the best way to do it. An emotional Peter Brock introduced the car on the block, describing the process of sketching the shape and working in Italy with the craftsmen at Fantuzzi, which can only have helped garner interest. The room at the Monterey Portola decided it's worth $720,000, so it's worth $720,000.