Description
For sale in our forthcoming auction during Le Mans Classic, on 30 June 2023:
Latvian title
Chassis n° KWT 4807
- Tribute to the Ford GT40 MkIV that won the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Vintage manufacture by a New Zealand craftsman
- A unique model, with a superb story
You may be familiar with the British Heron, the small, sporty Ford-powered kit cars of the 1960s. However, the Heron we're interested in here, although also handmade, is something quite different, and comes from a New Zealand workshop established by Ross Baker, which started out in 1962 making a replica Lotus 23 B.
After a Ford GT40 MkIV won the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ross Baker and his friend Bob Gee decided to build a replica to race in New Zealand. They set about finding all the information they needed for such a project, which was no easy task at a time when the only means of communication were telephone and post. They compiled articles, reports and photos and then set about making the car. They designed a monocoque structure in steel, not aluminium like the original, which they manufactured entirely from welded or riveted parts, with the entire thing then clad in fibreglass panels. As for the engine, since Chevrolet was much more established in their country than Ford, they chose a 327 ci (5. 3-litre) Corvette V8, which necessitated the creation of a special gearbox. They drew up the plans, cast the aluminium crankcases, and elected to install original Ford gearboxes. They also had to design a special suspension with combined springs and shock absorbers, applying construction methods specific to racing.
Unfortunately, after several years of intensive work, and just as their machine was nearing completion, the New Zealand sporting regulations changed for the 1972 season, limiting the engine capacity to 2 litres. This decision rendered their model obsolete before it even had the chance to start a race...
Discouraged, Ross Baker kept the car for a period of time before deciding to sell it.
It seems that it then enjoyed a short stay in the United States before ending up in Belgium. The current owner discovered it at a local specialist dealership, fell in love with the car's build quality and purchased it in 2015. Together with Latvian tuner Andris Stals, they set off in search of the manufacturer and finally tracked down Ross Baker in 2017. At the same time, Andris Stals was preparing the car for racing, enabling it to take part in a number of historic competition meetings at Spa and the Nürburgring. In September 2018, it drove the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans as part of the Historic Tour, as part of the "Young Touring Car Challenge" line-up. As reported in an article on the Endurance Info website, Ross Baker and his wife travelled from Australia, where he lives, to see the car in action on the Bugatti circuit.
This is a period replica with a shape that is astonishingly faithful to the Ford MkIV, handcrafted to the highest of standards, and with just a single model produced by enthusiasts on the other side of the world. It features the livery of the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, in red and bearing the number 1, as driven by Dan Gurney and A. J Foyt.
Compared to the GT40 MkI and MkII, the MkIV is much less well known and less common. This replica is a fitting tribute to its 1967 victory, the second ever recorded by the American manufacturer.
Auction estimate: €200 000 / €300 000
