1965 BEC GT40 Mk I - Kiwi Colors

New Zealand-born racecar drivers Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon piloted the No. 2 meatball-filled, silver-stripes-over-black Ford GT40 Mk II to victory in 1966 at Le Mans, with MK IIs capturing second and third to sweep the field. Produced by Bailey Edwards Cars, a prototype '65 GT40 Mk I replica was created with a similar paint scheme to pay homage to the Kiwi drivers and this Le Mans race history-making achievement.

Bailey Edwards Cars is a small South African builder of GT40s and Ferrari P4s. They've successfully campaigned their GT40s in South Africa's vintage racing circuit for the last four years. The silver-over-black BEC GT40 Mk I depicted here, chassis No. 003, was one of two prototypes BEC built for the 2004 South African Car Expo (the South African equivalent of SEMA). It was a complete turnkey car fitted with an engine and a transaxle.

At the Expo, the original owner, also a Californian, fell in love with the car and purchased it right out of the Expo display. In order to bring the Mk I into the U.S., the engine and transaxle had to be removed. The turnkey-minus car was shipped to Southern California, where it sat unfinished for a year before San Diego resident Larry Lessie found the car and purchased it in December '05. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Larry contacted BEC in an attempt to simply replace what was removed. Luckily, the prototype was fitted with a small-block Ford V-8 and a six-speed transaxle, which is almost exactly the way he wanted it.

Larry located a crate engine builder to build, balance, and blueprint the small-block Ford to his specifications. Unable to acquire the appropriate transaxle in the U.S., he again contacted BEC and ordered the correct six-speed from the builder. The adapter plate, flywheel, clutch assembly, and starter were also included with the transaxle. An Edelbrock Air-Gap dual plane intake and Holley 670 Street Avenger four-barrel carb were originally fitted to the engine. Desirous of Webers and velocity stacks, Larry swapped out the Holley carb.

The original GT40s used a monocoque chassis, but the BEC GT40s are constructed from a steel space-frame clad in aluminum to look like the originals. Front and rear hubs are carved out of billet aluminum. The front suspension is a fully independent, double wishbone type. Comprised of double trailing arms with a transverse top link and lower wishbone, the rear suspension is also independent. Bilstein adjustable coilover shocks are installed at each corner. All suspension-mounting points are adjustable rose joints. Brakes are four-piston AP Racing calipers with 305mm (12-inch) vented discs both front and rear.

BEC's handlaid fiberglass GT40 Mk I body was painted in basecoat/clearcoat black with silver stripes. The leather interior has a full set of Smiths gauges; a 13-inch, three-spoke steering wheel; six-point racing harnesses; air conditioning; carpeting; and original-style floor-mounted Tilton pedals.

Bored and stroked to the Le Mans limit of 5 liters (305ci), the period-correct engine is a vintage '65 Ford 289ci V-8. It has a balanced assembly; forged rods; hypereutectic pistons; a split-duration (.520/.523) cam; aluminum heads; 1.6:1 roller rockers; an MSD electronic ignition; a high-volume oil pump; an oversized Milodon oil pan with a remote oil cooler; four twin Weber 48 IDF carburetors set in an aluminum cold-air box; and the famed Bundle of Snakes-tuned, scavenging extractor exhaust. Power is transmitted through a custom-prepared Getrag 01E six-speed transaxle with upgraded rear main bearings as well as an altered spigot shaft and clutch fork to comfortably handle the 400 hp. If the engine is capable of 6,000 rpm in sixth gear, the BEC GT40 Mk I has a theoretical top speed of 204 mph.