What Is The P40
Premier MotorSports' new car is a replica of the GT40 Mark 1B originally made famous in the mid-'60s. The company has designed and engineered a new frame for the car, maintaining the wheelbase and track of the original. Premier's chief engineer, Chuck Ward (pictured with his rotating jig), researched and designed the new chassis and suspension components. Often you will find many donor parts in a replica, but in this case, there are only a few.
Ward studied what parts could be harvested from current production cars, and found that to meet the needed criteria, the steering geometry, anti-dive and anti-squat specifications, Premier needed to design and build 98 percent of the necessary parts itself. By engineering the design in CAD and running design calculations and model testing, it generated the first prototype from laser-cut sheet steel and computer-formed parts.The body and interior molds were designed and built by Premier's own master moldmaker John Kukovich (pictured with the dash he formed). Other mold building and laminating was the responsibility of Scott Allensworth and Miguel Tovar.
In engineering the car this way, changes can be made easily and adjustments can be implemented quickly. When complete, the target weight should be 2,000 pounds! The engine bay is designed to handle the 289, 302, and the 4.6 SOHC or DOHC. The customer can also select between two gearbox applications: the Getrag Trans (for up to 325 hp), or the ZF box for high-horsepower combinations.
Chuck Nickloy, along with partner Rick Fiske, are happy to stand next to the Premier MotorSports' next big thing: The P40.