Tiff Needle: Now you probably know that I’m not very keen on old cars. They’re usually uncomfortable, they don’t handle very well, they’ve got rubbish brakes, and they leak. But there was one old design I was willing to travel 6,000 miles to have a go in.
Think of South Africa and you might picture the sun, the sea, Nelson Mandela, the safaris. But I bet you won’t think GT40. The original GT40 was developed by Ford back in the 60’s to teach Ferrari a lesson at Le Mans. And it did the trick. The car won the 24-hour race four times in a row. It is one of the most evocative cars of all time. If you want an original it will cost you around £1,000,000. But there is a cheaper option. You could visit High Tech Automotives place in Port Elizabeth and get one of these.
High Tech builds on of my favorite cars, the Noble. And now they’ve come up with this GT40 replica. And believe me it is an absolute carbon copy right down to the shape of the oily bits.
The only changes are a switch to left-hand drive and a repositioning of the gear level in the center of the car which allows for slightly wider seats. Both of these modifications being done to attract the American buyer. And its mainly America that most of these cars will go to. Oh, yes, one other qualification. They put in air conditioning. And that’s something you can never expect but its helping in this cruise down the peninsula. It’s more than welcome in the heat of the sun though.
You can choose from a range of glorious V8 engines. This 6.5 liter version produces 480 horsepower. And every time you touch the throttle it feels like the car is going to soar into the air.
It handles like all the Ford GT40’s that I’ve raced and driven. It’s got a heavy steering from the word go which lightens up as the speed increases.
Ford’s own modern day interpretation of the GT costs around £120,000. You’d expect a version like this, so painstakingly crafted to be like the original to cost even more. But actually you can get one even with right hand drive for around £60,000. There’s just nothing around for that money with the same sense of occasion.
If you want to get noticed when you cruise into town, nothing does it better than a car like this. This car actually gives you an adrenaline rush even when it’s not moving. At slow speeds the car is a delight. So imagine what it would be like on a track.
This is Kyalami Circuit north of Cape Town, a place I haven’t raced at for nearly 20 years. But it’s a fabulous circuit that I still know the fast way around.
It really is a well [inaudible] car. That’s what impresses me about this South African made GT40. No rattles or shakes. It’s solid. This roaring spirit everyone should so have in their lives. Then they could understand why I get such a kick out of driving racing cars. That roar in the engine just pumps the adrenaline through your blood and forces that smile onto your face. One more lap.
Of all of the cars that I’ve driven over the years, this is one of the few that’s given me goose bumps. It’s brilliant.
