This ‘toy’ car costs £20k

A real-life racer with a diminutive difference

The Ford GT40 is a legend: it swept to four straight victories at Le Mans in the late ’60s and regularly fetches millions at auction; one sold last year for £7.4m ($9.75m)!

Head to the RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale sale in a couple of weeks, though, and you’ll find a restored GT40 going under the hammer with a lower estimate of just £20,000 ($25,000).

Nor is it a rusty wreck: this 1968 example wears the iconic Gulf livery and is very much a runner.

What’s the catch? While the original GT40 was no giant, suffice it to say this version is easier to fit in the garage…

Approved by Ford

On paper, it’s a Ford-sanctioned GT40, built in 1968 and equipped with everything you’d expect of the Blue Oval’s fabled racer – from the wheel spinners to the twin tailpipes. Except that it’s half the size.

Scaled-down racer

Yes, win the bidding on this 51-year-old racer and you’ll actually be taking home a half-scale replica of the iconic GT40, built by Société de Construction des Automobiles Francis in the late-’60s. Whether you’re happy about that probably depends on whether you can squeeze into the tiny cabin.

Power of three

This is no lawn ornament, mind: the pint-sized Ford was originally equipped with a single-cylinder engine good for 3bhp, making it easily the coolest go-kart around – if a little less powerful than its full-size sibling.

All in perspective

And, much like the proper one, the Ford Mini GT40 comes with a leather-wrapped wheel and seat, electric lights and a rear-mounted motor. Out of context, it could almost be mistaken for the real deal.

Made by Mortarini

Who’s behind it? French car nut Francis Mortarini – a man familiar with fixing rare machines and, later, building pedal cars and go-karts for kids.

Lifelike for the little ones

Created with exclusive permission from Ford itself, the Mini GT40 made the legendary endurance machine accessible for fledgling racers – complete with authentic starter and ignition switches.

Baby Le Mans

Not content with simply shipping miniatures to enthusiastic young owners, in the mid 1960s Mortarini saw to it that his small automobiles could go racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Well, next to it.

Scaled duration

So began the 24 Minutes du Mans – a children’s version of the world-famous endurance race, held alongside the real thing on a somewhat smaller track and over, you've guessed it, just 24 minutes. For some reason, running the little cars at night seemed a bad idea.

Replica re-enactment

It was an event contested by a field of familiar names: alongside the Mini GT40 lined up replicas of the Ford’s real-life nemesis, the Ferrari 330 P2 – also built by Mortarini.

Lost and found

What of this particular Mini GT40? Built in France in 1968, its racing record isn’t known, but in the 1970s it was reportedly found – alongside a second GT40 and two 330 P2s – near Le Mans. Which arguably makes it a barn-find classic…

Held for decades

Who found it? Renowned collector Charlie Schalebaum, who would hold the Mini GT40 for several decades before selling it in 2011 to the current owner.

Model restoration

Stabled with its new custodian, the diminutive machine underwent a thorough and exacting restoration to bring the bijou racer back to its best.

Back in blue

That meant reapplying the iconic Power Blue Gulf livery – complete with orange stripe – as worn by the GT40 that won Le Mans in both 1968 and 1969.

Renewed with a better block

A crucial element was missing, though: the engine. Though not exactly punchy, without the motor this GT40 was all kart and no go – so the owner had to source a replacement.

Boosted by three

This took the form of a new Briggs & Stratton unit. Single-cylinder like the original, it was three times as powerful as the 1968 number, taking output to a mighty 9bhp. Best go steady round the car park, eh?

Improved and updated

Besides an electric starter and a kill switch, the car also gained front and rear electric lights, and that hand-stitched leather wheel. Talk about refinement.

Tight fit for some

Reckon it’s just a kids' toy? Not so: while the cockpit isn’t the most spacious, the removable roof means a spritely adult can cram into the cabin and poke their head out of the top – for a truly wind-in-the-hair ride. Or breeze, perhaps.

Racing on the grand stage

What’s more, if you know a would-be racer aged between seven and 12, the Mini GT40 is eligible for the Little Big Mans, a race for small-scale replicas that’s run at the Le Mans Classic – and, unlike the original, it takes place on the proper circuit, complete with old-school running start.

Where's your wallet?

Fancy inspiring your offspring with some faithful racing heritage? The SCAF GT40 is set to go under the hammer in Arizona on Friday 18 January – with an estimate of £20-25k ($25-30k). Which is a lot for a go-kart, but a bargain for a GT40.