Any Tractor Guys Into Sports Cars Too?

[sd455dan]

My Uncle owns both... an original GT40 and the new Ford GT.

Hands down there is no comparison... he loves driving the new GT... even has A/C

except resale GT 40= $$$$$$$

 

[ultrarunner]

except resale GT 40= $$$$$$$

Very true... in the 60's he was a race car driver on the West Coast...

Owned lots of valuable cars looking back... numerous Cobras small block and large block, Lola, GT 40's, Pantera's and Lotus 7's

I still remember as a kid in the 70's when he sold a 427 Cobra for 20k cash... the guy that bought it nearly killed himself on a twisty mountain road when he totaled the car...

I didn't particularly like that Cobra because it was deafeningly loud and I got a nasty burn on my calf getting out on the sidepipe.

I did like the GT40s... especially how the entire trans-axle with engine was accessible by tipping up the compartment cover.... we were driving it one day getting it ready for the SF International Auto Show and the fuel pump went out... called the local Ford Dealer and he had one the next day... cost $180!!!!

The biggest drawback of the original GT40's aside from lack of creature comforts is having to be so careful because it had almost no ground clearance... actually had to carry planks in the truck to bridge even the slightest curb cut...

It's interesting to read the history of some of the cars he owned/owns... the one that was totaled was completely restored and a decade later sold for 10 times what he had sold it for.

He's 75 now and down to one Cobra, one GT40 and the new GT... I guess the coolest thing was back in 1981 he let my brother drive the Cobra to High School Graduation with my brother's best friend... I drove my 1931 Model A to Graduation... not quite the same.

He and the Super 7 made it into the movies when Disney was shooting footage for the original Love Bug in the 60's... all the drivers had drive slow so Herbie could best all of them.

 

[1026R owner]

Very true... in the 60's he was a race car driver on the West Coast...

Owned lots of valuable cars looking back... numerous Cobras small block and large block, Lola, GT 40's, Pantera's and Lotus 7's

We like your uncle!

 

[ultrarunner]

We like your uncle!

Now... only if I was his favorite nephew lol

His daughter and husband will get the new GT...

The others will eventually be sold... he gets a big kick when people track him down from all around the world trying to entice him into selling the other two... they sit side by side in a 20 x 20 garage on a gavel road next to the barn...

 

[check 6]

Time to chime in and display my retirement toys from Porsche, the tractor maker. On the left is a '09 Carrera S slightly tweaked, it is my daily driver. In the center is one of only 700 (and one of only six in Blue) Boxster Spyders a special lightweight limited production vehicle. The top is an actual take off and fold up to stuff in the trunk one. On the right is an '83 Euro Spec 911 SC that has been significantly improved and is set up for the track. Those that know me have heard my motto of life " growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional"

 

[1026R owner]

Nice ride for his daughter and son in law! I would love to have the GT 40 or the Cobra. Fabulous cars, and there is a lot you can do with them. You can actually do more with those old cars than the Ford GT, but the latter is, shall we say, a more practical daily driver. GT 40s and Cobras can -- and should -- be raced and rallied at events all around the country. It's great fun and lots of great folks.

I can't think of any other sport, with the exception of golf, where you have the legends of the sport showing up at vintage events, receiving adoration from fans, and continuing to participate. Having a vintage car is the key to opening up this world. Vintage cars are a wonderful thing, I highly recommend them.

I imagine those cars will go to auction or will go to someone he knows or trusts. Both the Cobra and GT 40 are in big demand; the people who follow them know where most of them are!

 

[Jtschnel]

There have been a number who've suggested Road America but I've never made it up there ... yet. I feel doubly embarrassed since I live in SW WI.

The GT is a really stable car and the constant torque band is impressive. I've had it up to 195 while in Nevada .. with my wife no less focusing on the speedo (cause its off to the side, sort of like oh, yeah we have to put one of those in their too).

It's as much of a head turner as it is fun to drive. Wish Ford would make another Supercar, but I suspect it'll be 10-15 yrs before they consider it again. Next one won't be as much of a drivers car though, with all the electronics and computing power that goes into them. Wouldn't doubt it's one of the last of an era.

 

[Jtschnel]

My Uncle owns both... an original GT40 and the new Ford GT.

Hands down there is no comparison... he loves driving the new GT... even has A/C

Now that would be a pair to have! With that little piece of info right there, I'm a fan of your uncle!

 

[Jtschnel]

All this talk about fun things to drive, and with a new 1026R that I've only driven the length of my driveway to put it in the garage when it was drooped off a couple of days ago due to weather, I'm going to go get on it now, just to run it a 1/8 mile to fill'er up! And if the dealer brought it over full, which he better have, I'll have to drive it around just to burn off a little diesel before going to the station!

 

[ultrarunner]

Nice ride for his daughter and son in law! I would love to have the GT 40 or the Cobra. Fabulous cars, and there is a lot you can do with them. You can actually do more with those old cars than the Ford GT, but the latter is, shall we say, a more practical daily driver. GT 40s and Cobras can -- and should -- be raced and rallied at events all around the country. It's great fun and lots of great folks.

I can't think of any other sport, with the exception of golf, where you have the legends of the sport showing up at vintage events, receiving adoration from fans, and continuing to participate. Having a vintage car is the key to opening up this world. Vintage cars are a wonderful thing, I highly recommend them.

I imagine those cars will go to auction or will go to someone he knows or trusts. Both the Cobra and GT 40 are in big demand; the people who follow them know where most of them are!

He use to be a regular at the Monterey Historic Auto Races and the SF Auto Show...

He stopped bringing the cars to Monterey because of a bad experience... they were all on the track and the skill level of the driver's varied greatly... a couple of cars mixed it up and my uncle decided no more... it would be the last time...

The Cobra he kept is a transition car... it was almost the last with the 289 and one of the firsts with the larger body... of all the ones he has owned he said this one is the most balanced and drives the best...

The older 289's had a lot of rattles and the big blocks really were not very streetable...

Who knows... maybe time to schedule a visit to see how things are going...

He does drive the GT and said Ford got it right... I think it is the only new car he has ever owned. In the 60's his wife drive a 62 Corvette that got sidelined when the family came along.

Of all the cars he has owned... the one he misses the most is the Lotus Super 7.... he won a lot of races with that and drove it just about everywhere...

Getting married and starting a family tends to change things a lot...

To keep this tractor related... the trailer he used in the 60's for his racing and his first GT40 is the trailer I use for my BX23 Kubota and it is a single axle!