Richard's GT40 Mark V Speed Maker

GT40 Mark V Speed Maker

Magazine: Road and Track Magazine, Supercars, Special Edition 1991

With the precision of a drill sergeant, the crew chief guided me through the start procedure. “Master switch to hot. Fuel pumps: on. Ignition: on. Fire system: armed.” And, finally, “Crack the throttle and hit the start button.”

But his words took on a haunting tone, as I flashed back 25 years to that glorious day in June, 1966, when three of this car’s ancestors conquered Le Mans. My mind was absorbed with images of long, beautiful power slides and the red glow of brake rotors deep braking at the end of the Mulsanne Straight, with images of team leaders Caroll Shelby and Phil Remington and of drivers Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Ken Miles, Denis Hulme, Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson.

It was wonderful, lying there, nearly fully reclined in the tiny cockpit, thinking of the races, the struggles and the accomplishments of this racing legend. But wanderlust was instantly reduced to wonder-dust with the angry bark of the 8.0-liter V-8 just behind my head exploding to life. Dream time was over. Now it was time for me to go to work.

My job, ah, what a job, was to drive the Safir GT40 Mark V. Though new, this GT40 was built under license to J.W. Automotive, which, during the mid- and late-Sixties’ Ford GT campaign, was the constructor and leading team entrant of the cars. Built on the same tooling, and to the same specifications as the early cars, the Safir Gt40 Mark V is nearly identical to its ancestor, the Ford GT Mark II.

Keep your turbos and your twincams;

give me cubic inches.

The Marks IIs ran with 427-cu-in. Ford engines, and that was the configuration that won Le Mans in 1966.  Safir’s agreement with J.W. Automotive was to produce 50 cars, five of which are big-block models, the rest based on Ford’s small-block 302-cu-in engine. The entire run has been sold out, though production will continue for another year. Our tester came from the Richard Stewart collection of Canyon Country, California. Stewart, a self-made millionaire in his mid-forties, is a car guy’s car guy. He is rich enough to collect, restore, and exhibit some of the world’s most famous Fords, and passionate enough to want to. Stewart currently has the largest single collection of Mark Vs, several of which he plans to keep in his collection, some of which he will sell or trade for exotic racing Fords.

The Stewart Collection has the onsite capability to restore a car from the ground up and the in-shop talent to put the equipment to good use. On the day of my tour, four De Tomaso Mangustas and the famed million dollar Ford Indy Pantera were in different stages of restoration, and the attention to detail appeared to be second to none.

As for the tester, crew chief Bud Roggenbuck had everything in order, his confidence surpassed only by his knowledge. When the Dove Manufacturing all-aluminum big block hanged to life, its 493 cu in. inhaled air like a jet aircraft. The instruments snapped to attention, and Roggenbuck calmly shouted his final instructions. Oil temp, fuel and oil pressure; each would have to be monitored. I depressed the triple-disc clutch and drew the short gear lever over and back into 1st. A blip of the throttle and quick slip of the clutch (multidisc clutches are like light switches: They’re either on or off), and we were under way.

As I slowly moved the Mark V from left to right, building heat in its shaved BFGoodrich tires and getting a feel for stability and steering effort, I couldn’t help but get a sense of confidence in the car. This was no tin-hearted replica. This was a faithfully, carefully, caringly built reproduction of the original. And the like the early cars, it was ready to get to it. Fast, flat and furious.

With each gear change came greater speed at even greater rates. I cautiously drove the car through the Firestone’s Test Center’s Turn 1, a 180-degree corner with a 2-mile radius, but with narrow single lanes. At 145 mph, the turn was a non-event. Down the 1 ½ mile back straight, warming the engine and gaining speed, I entered the second turn at just over 170 mph. Still the Mark V was at ease, I couldn’t help but look out over the front fenders and wonder what people like Dan Gurney or A.J. Foyt saw as they did battle with Ferrari and Porsche in these great cars, but whimsical moments of romance quickly faded with speed. With one more pass through Turn 1, I reached into the throttle and called for more steam. Entering Turn 2 at 185 mph, I continued to be amazed at the absolute calm of the chassis and the total willingness of the engine. To be fair, having Nineties’ tire technology on a Sixties’ platform played a large role in the comfort-to-speed ratio.

As I neared the exit of Turn 2, it was foot to the floor. And still the engine drew me back in the seat. Hard. And now the big numbers started to roll up rapidly as we shot through he traps. At 193 mph it was still gaining. The 600-bhp big-block was just coming on song and the Mark V’s nosecone was still splitting the wind. The tachometer showed 1450 revs in reserve. I suspect my reverence for the car held it back. Clearly, as equipped, the Mark V could break 200 mph. Its Dove engine still pulling and, even more importantly, its chassis still willing. A most impressive showing under cautious guidance.

From the top speed oval we went to the road course where the Mark V proved no less capable. With tail-out corner departures and arrow straight hard breaking, the Mark V was light and responsive. Perhaps more surprising than the poise and balance of the chassis was the flexible power-band of the big-block engine. Low-end off-corner performance was wonderful, yet just moments before, this same engine had large power left in its belly at nearly 200 mph.

This is obviously a very developed package. As with any expensive collector car (current estimates place the value of the small-block Mark Vs in the $500,000 range), fit, finish and construction quality are paramount. At this level, beauty has got to be more than skin deep. Here, too, the Mark V serves its ancestry well; attention to detail and appropriate performance hardware is used throughout. This is a collector car for racing, not just for mirrored and marbled show rooms. A car to be used. A car for making the long drive down memory lane a short trip. 