Kit Car

1965 Ford GT40 Mk 1b - Baby Blue Bombshell

By Eric Geisert

Remember the guy who married Marilyn Monroe? And we're not talking about Yankee baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, but rather her third husband, playwright Arthur Miller. Miller was a quiet, brilliant, nondescript sort who shunned the limelight that shown so brightly on his partner, who was anything but nondescript. But obsession is a funny thing, and it makes for interesting bedfellows (no pun intended). Chuck Armstrong from Sedona, Arizona, typically does not do things to draw attention to himself, preferring to keep a low profile. But one of his pastimes--owning and driving high-performance vehicles--is sometimes cross-grain to his otherwise subtle way of life.

For most of his life, Chuck's passion for speed and performance has led him down the Porsche path. He may have started out with hot rod Fords early on, but after he discovered the diminutive yet powerful Porsches, Chuck figured he'd found what he was looking for. Over the years Armstrong has owned a few of them, including a 993 twin-turbo model that was certainly fast enough. When Porsche introduced the 996 in the late '90s--with its watercooled flat-six engine--Chuck's interest in new Porsches dwindled (though he still owns a pristine 911SC). But having also loved the shape of the GT40 and its rich racing history drew Chuck to get one for himself. Looking around at the various makers of reproduction GTs, Chuck even went to the extent of visiting the CAV factory in Cape Town, South Africa, to evaluate what they had to offer. Armstrong also looked into the GT forums on the Web and saw that Roaring Forties had a loyal following. More importantly, its reputation for post-sale support was good, which Chuck felt was essential for a vehicle with such a low production number, so he went with a Roaring Forties model.

At the time, Roaring Forties GTs were manufactured in Australia (they're now being made in South Africa), and then shipped wired, plumbed, painted, and upholstered to their United States importer, Hershel Byrd in Phoenix, Arizona. While Armstrong's car was being built, he kept up on its assembly via photos e-mailed from the factory. Roaring Forties builds three basic GT40 body types: a Mark 1, a Mark 1B (a bit wider at the rear wheels due to the flared fenders used on the original Gulf cars), and a Mark II (larger air-intake scoops). Wanting to own a Gulf-type GT, Armstrong ordered a Mark 1B turnkey-minus package from Roaring Forties.

And though original GTs were painted in many different color combinations in the '60s, clearly the most famous were known as the Gulf cars--sponsored by Gulf Oil and painted in a powder-blue with a distinctive marigold-orange graphic racing-stripe design. The Gulf-colored GTs are popular in GT lore as they are most famous for crossing the finish line in first place at LeMans in both 1968 and 1969. The same car won both those races and was set up on chassis #1075, and it is typically identified wearing the number 6 in its meatballs as it did at the 1969 race (subsequently going on to become the most recognized and famous GT40 ever). But at the September 1968 race, the car, piloted by Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi, wore the number 9 designation. Armstrong preferred the car when it wore its less-famous digit and had the number 9 affixed to his car before picking it up sans drivetrain from Byrd's place in Phoenix.

To a guy who loves speed and performance, you can only imagine what type of engine Chuck might want for his GT, but in this case you'd probably be wrong. Wanting a more reliable drivetrain rather than a temperamental all-out racer, Armstrong opted for a race-prepped Ford 302. (The displacement was good enough for the GT team in 1968!) The assembly was balanced and blueprinted, and included a Ford Racing X-303 camshaft, fly-cut pistons, and Air Flow Research 165 heads. Feeding the small-block is an eight-barrel MoTeC injection unit (an Australian-made system used on some Indy race cars, and something the '60s race team probably would have loved to have had!) with the engine's power fed into an Audi 016 transaxle (found in the '83-87 Audi 5000).

Another addition not found in the original race cars is an air-conditioning system, which Chuck wanted, since the car does not have moveable door glass (only riveted Lexan with tiny screw-type access vents). The result of this extra work is a quiet and comfortable cockpit--nothing like the loud and rattle-laden experience you'd expect from a true race car. There is no stereo system, but with the exhaust note humming in your ear, why would you want to listen to anything else? With over 3,500 miles on the odometer already (some of those recorded at above 150 mph), Chuck says there may be more comfort in his 911, but the driving experience in his GT (including both stability and acceleration) makes up for any lack of regular creature comforts. But nothing in Chuck's Roaring Forties GT really makes for an uncomfortable ride once you're inside, except for the attention it garners when driving it down the road. (Imagine seeing this car coming up at speed in your rear- view mirror!) People drive up alongside, point at the car, and even take pictures with their camera phones. Stopping at red lights only gives an added opportunity to gawk, so owning such an over-the-top car is a double-edged sword for the otherwise reserved Armstrong. But, like playwright Arthur Miller before him, Chuck will just have to get used to the attention the blonde bombshell on his arm attracts, which is what happens when you possess an object of every man's desire.