This is the most expensive Ford GT40 ever sold – despite its calamitous history

Mario Andretti was first listed on the Le Mans provisional entry as Hansgen’s replacement with Donohue in P/1032, but his eventual team-mate was Paul Hawkins, who had won his class at the blue riband enduro the previous year driving a Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite.

P/1032 was one of eight GT40s entered at Le Mans ’66 as Ford broached an all-out La Sarthe assault.

Three cars were run by the Shelby American team, another trio by Holman-Moody, and two from by Alan Mann. Along with Donohue and Hawkins in the No4 P/1032 car, the No5 of Ronnie Bucknum and Hutcherson, plus the No6 Andretti and Lucien Bianchi, were the other Holman-Moody entries.

The P/1032 was given its day-glo green highlights in the practice sessions before the race as it became apparent that telling it apart from some of the other GT40s, even in daylight hours, was going to be tricky.

Then chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford II, waved the starting flag on the 55-car field that would become Le Mans’ most celebrated race in its history – but things went wrong early for Donohue and Hawkins. Starting from 11th, the Australian fried the clutch on lap one, which in turn broke the half-shaft and meant he had to pit on lap two.

Heading back out after lengthy repairs, the car soon began pulling to the side and had a vibration.

The initial decision was to retire P/1032 but Donohue, famous for his engineering nous as much as driving skill, persuaded team boss Moody to let him take it on track to work out it the issue.

It transpired upon removing the valve covers that the car had bent rods, probably from over-revving the engine following its half-shaft issue. New rods were put in and Donohue rejoined the race.

It got worse though – no sooner had he then got back on track than the rear ‘clamshell’ engine cover flew off at 210mph on the Mulsanne straight, the American just barely keeping the almost-out-of-control beast on the road.

On reaching the pits at a crawl, officials then tried to disqualify P/1032, but Donohue successfully remonstrated with them – helped by some booing from the crowd – to let him return to the track once more and retrieve the missing cover.

Heading round the La Sarthe in a ‘naked’ GT40 at snail’s pace, Donohue parked his car on the Mulsanne while waving away fans who offered to help – this would have meant instant disqualification.

He dragged the tailpiece towards the car and reattached it with pliers and tape, before once again setting off at a crawl to get it fixed properly in the pits.

A few laps into yet another beleaguered re-entry, a trans-axle issue was considered terminal and the car was finally retired. In five hours, the car had managed just 12 laps, while the Shelby American GT40 of McLaren and Amon took a famous first Ford win, part of its celebrated 1-2-3.

However, with the car soon pardoned from competition life thereafter, it was treated with no less reverence, this being a perfect example of the machine which had made history for the Blue Oval.

Shown ‘as-raced’, P/1032 is thought to have been displayed at the October 1966 Paris Motor Show, before going on to the March 1967 Geneva Motor Show and finally the August 1967 Monza Auto Show.

The car was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 1968, but over 50 years later is being moved on to make way for a more IndyCar-focused collection.