One of only two Carroll Shelby-driven Ford GT40 Mk1s is to be auctioned at Mecum’s next Kissimmee, Florida sale in January 2026.
Only 48 MkI race coupés were produced, and this one – P/1018 – left Ford Advanced Vehicles in November 1965 bound for Shelby American. Officially prepared as a race car but presented in what Shelby termed “show trim”, it was intended as both an engineering statement and a promotional tool. Its story since then has become one of the richest in GT40 lore. It’s also the first example built with a three-hole chassis panel, which later was to become a production mainstay.
Upon arrival in Los Angeles with minor shipping damage to its nose, P/1018 was hurried to Shelby’s LAX facility. There it was photographed with Carroll Shelby himself – the man who would later slide behind the wheel for the opening of a new section of the Santa Monica Freeway on January 6, 1966 (with Miss Santa Monica in the passenger seat). Few GT40s are claimed to have been driven by Shelby. Marque historian Ronnie Spain records only two, making P/1018 exceptionally significant.
The car quickly became a showpiece for both Ford and Shelby. Its repaired bodywork gleamed under the lights at the Seattle Auto Show in November 1965, followed by further appearances in San Francisco and Portland. It then crossed into popular culture, when MGM leased the car for John Frankenheimer’s forthcoming film Grand Prix, for which Bob Bondurant tested cameras from behind the wheel at Riverside. Dark Blue paint marked P/1018’s new film-star life, before the car spent two years on a showroom tour. Television beckoned, too, with a cameo in NBC’s spy hit The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
By 1967 the car was a familiar presence at trade exhibitions, displayed at Dodger Stadium’s High Performance and Custom Trade Show, at the New York Coliseum and in Dallas at HemisFair. It was finally sold in November 1968 to its first private owner, Ervin Conciatu, before passing to racer Brian O’Neil, who painted it black with gold stripes. It then crossed the Atlantic to David Piper in Surrey; he fitted Gurney-Weslake heads and BRM wheels, and repainted it in Gulf livery.
Australia was the GT40’s next stop. Laurie O’Neill of New South Wales acquired the car in 1973, campaigning it until a minor crash at Amaroo Park in 1982. Ronnie Spain noted that the incident left the chassis essentially unharmed. Restoration followed in 1985 in Gulf colours courtesy of Page One Pty, Ltd, with mechanical attention later from Shelby American veteran John Collins.
In 2001 the car returned to Europe under the ownership of three-time Group C2 world champion Ray Bellm. Prepared by Lanzante, it was repainted dark blue and raced extensively. Eleven victories from 13 starts at the Le Mans Classic, a win in the Whitsun Trophy at the 2007 Goodwood Revival and numerous appearances at blue-riband events established P/1018 as one of the most competitive GT40s in Historic racing. Top Gear featured the car in 2004, when it edged a Noble M400 at Dunsfold by six-hundredths of a second. You can view the video here.
Subsequent owner Chris Wilson continued to run the GT40 in major Historic events, including the Daytona Classic 24, Tour Auto, Goodwood Revival and Members’ Meeting. In recent years it has been displayed at the Heveningham Concours and returned to Sussex for the Carroll Shelby parade at the 2023 Revival. It’s now finished in its original livery.
It’s now due to be put up for sale on Saturday January 17, 2026 at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale (January 6-18, 2026); no estimate for this Carroll Shelby-driven Ford GT40 has been released. More details are available here.
