By Viknesh Vijayenthiran | March 19, 2025 In the rarefied air of automotive collecting, few names carry the gravitas of the Ford GT40. It is the machine that humbled Ferrari at Le Mans, redefined endurance racing, and cemented Ford’s place in the pantheon of motorsport legends. While production GT40s are coveted by the world’s elite, the prototypes—the “test beds” upon which the legend was built—are considered the ultimate prizes. This May, Mecum Auctions will offer a piece of history that transcends mere ownership: the 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype, chassis number GT/109. Scheduled for the block during Mecum’s flagship Indianapolis auction from May 9–17, this vehicle is not just a car; it is a survivor of a brutal development era, a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a mechanical bridge between the early experimental phase and the dominance that would follow. The Main Facts: A Prototype Unlike Any Other Chassis GT/109 occupies a singular position in the annals of Ford’s racing history. It is one of only 12 prototypes constructed between 1964 and 1965 as Ford scrambled to refine the GT40 platform for the world stage. Of those 12, only five were built as open-top roadsters. Even more exclusive is the fact that GT/109 is the sole roadster of its kind to have ever competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The vehicle represents a pivotal moment in the Ford-Ferrari rivalry. In 1965, the GT40 program was still finding its footing, and the roadster variants were intended to test aerodynamics and weight distribution. While many of its siblings met a violent end—often scrapped after being utilized for destructive crash testing—GT/109 survived to tell a story of constant mechanical evolution. Its presence at the upcoming Indianapolis auction offers collectors a rare chance to acquire a machine that has been carefully stewarded from the track to the development lab, and finally, into the hands of a meticulous restorer. A Chronological Odyssey: From Le Mans to Indy The life of GT/109 is a sprawling narrative of transformation. Its journey began in the heat of the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driven by the legendary pairing of Maurice Trintignant and Guy Ligier, the car carried the hopes of the Ford team. However, the rigors of endurance racing were unforgiving; the car retired after just 11 laps due to a gearbox failure. Rather than being consigned to a scrapyard, the car was returned to Shelby American for a complete rebuild. This marked the beginning of its life as a “mule” for experimental technology. Throughout the late 1960s, Ford utilized GT/109 as a rolling laboratory. It was the platform for testing Kar Kraft’s automatic transmissions, various braking configurations, and the high-revving Weber-carbureted four-cam Indy engines. In 1968, the car was acquired by famed Californian customizer Dean Jeffries. Jeffries, a visionary in the automotive design world, kept the car in his possession for decades, preserving its experimental components. It wasn’t until 2013 that the car’s current owner, Dana Mecum, acquired the chassis from Jeffries’ son. Under Mecum’s stewardship, the car underwent a comprehensive restoration, not to make it a modern track car, but to return it to its original 1965 Le Mans configuration. This delicate balance of preservation and restoration is what makes GT/109 so uniquely valuable to historians and collectors alike. Supporting Data: The Rarity of Survival The historical context of the GT40 program is defined by loss. The "GT" series of prototypes was notoriously ephemeral. Chassis GT/101, the car that debuted at the 1964 New York International Auto Show, was destroyed in crash tests, as was its successor, GT/102. The fact that GT/109 exists at all is a testament to its value as a multi-purpose development tool. Of the five roadster prototypes originally built, only two are known to have survived. The other survivor, GT/108, set a benchmark for the market when it went to auction in 2019, commanding a staggering $7.65 million. This price point serves as a baseline for the upcoming sale, though many analysts suggest that the historical provenance of GT/109—specifically its unique racing history—could push its final bid even higher. The current specification of GT/109 is a mechanical masterpiece. It is powered by a HiPo 289 V-8 engine that has been meticulously rebuilt, featuring the iconic Shelby-designed "Bundle of Snakes" exhaust system that gives the GT40 its unmistakable roar. The integration of the experimental Ford/Shelby intake manifold highlights the car’s secondary life as a development vehicle, providing a glimpse into the engineering brilliance of the mid-60s. Official Perspectives: The Market’s "Third Time’s the Charm" This is not the first time the public has had the opportunity to bid on GT/109. The car was previously listed at Mecum auctions in 2018 and 2020. On both occasions, the vehicle failed to meet its reserve price and was passed in. Market experts suggest that the failure to sell in previous years was not a reflection of the car’s quality, but rather a reflection of the highly specialized nature of the prototype market. These are not "turn-key" classics; they are historical artifacts. Buyers in this segment are typically museums, high-net-worth individuals with a deep appreciation for motorsport heritage, or private foundations looking to preserve American engineering history. As the 2025 Indianapolis auction approaches, the climate for blue-chip collector cars remains robust. The resurgence of interest in Ford’s racing history, bolstered by popular culture and a renewed global interest in endurance racing, has created an environment where the scarcity of a "surviving prototype" is more highly prized than ever. Dana Mecum’s decision to bring the car back to the block signals a potential shift in the owner’s intent, leading many to speculate that the reserve may be adjusted to facilitate a successful sale this time around. Implications: The Legacy of the Prototype What does it mean to own a prototype? For the buyer, it represents the final word in authenticity. Unlike a production car that rolls off an assembly line, GT/109 was hand-built, tested, broken, rebuilt, and modified by the very hands that engineered the cars that conquered the world. It is a physical manifestation of the trial-and-error process that defined Ford’s "Total Performance" era. If the car sells in May, it will likely be heralded as one of the most significant automotive transactions of the decade. Its sale will set a tone for the vintage racing market, reinforcing the idea that while modern hypercars provide performance, only prototypes provide soul. The preservation of such a machine ensures that future generations can understand the grit and ingenuity required to turn a draft on a napkin into a world-beating machine. As the automotive world turns its eyes to Indianapolis this May, the focus will be squarely on the block where a piece of 1965—a car that once battled for supremacy in the French countryside—will seek a new caretaker. Whether it breaks the $7.65 million record set by its sister car, GT/108, remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain: for the individual who walks away with the keys to GT/109, they will not just be buying a car; they will be assuming the guardianship of a legend. 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