Is it Is, Or Is It Ain't?...[PIC]

Geez Rich, that's a beautiful model. Exoto was at the top of their game.

Beautiful model. Incredible details.

Yes indeed, another supreme Exoto effort.....  but I'm inclined to believe it's a fake.   Those individuals that "lived it,"  Holman and the mechanics, have (had ) no reason to lie.  I'll file this '66 GT40 story along with the 1948 Tucker convertible - another fake, backed up by those that "lived it." 

The 1966 Ford GT40 X-1 was cut up and and destroyed in front of customs agents, in fact because Shelby did not want to pay the import tax, they cut up the car before Customs came by and they had to weld it back together again so they could cut it up in front of the customs agents. One of the requirements back then was the car had to be destroyed in front of the customs agents. 

The car was going to be sent to Holman/Moody to be reconditioned but when it became known they were going to have to pay a customs tax on the car it was decided to just destroy it. Sebring is a rough circuit and the car needed a complete rebuild after the race. 

I have this car in my display. 

Here is some information on the Number 1 car, it was raced by McLaren overseas but was not competitive, the nose and rear of the car were different, when Shelby received the car he sent it to Holman/Moody and had them put the GT40 front bodywork and rear bodywork on the car. When Shelby American took the car to Sebring they had an automatic transmission in it but they kept breaking the automatic so they switched it out for the manual. The car was fast and during the race Ken Miles was pushing Dan Gurney to the point Shelby told them both to slow down via pit boards and when both drivers ignored the pit boards to slow down, Shelby grabbed a hammer and waved it at both cars as they passed the pits, both Gurney and Miles slowed down after that but not before Ken Miles drove past the pits on the next lap giving Shelby the middle finger. 

Dan Gurney's engine blew up going into the last corner of the last lap of the race, Miles passed Gurney who had got out and started pushing the car, that was against the rules and Gurney was disqualified from the race. If Dan Gurney had just stayed parked on the side of the track he would have been credited with second place instead of being disqualified. 

Ken Miles said he knew Gurney was going to blow up the engine from the way he was driving, the X-1 was lighter and faster but back then they would decided who would win the race and who would finish second and third on the teams before the race started. 

That Sebring win gave Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby the 24 Hours of Daytona win and the 12 Hours of Sebring win, if Lloyd Ruby had not been injured in a racing accident he would have been Ken Miles co driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and both Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby would have been the first drivers to win all three races in the same year. It is said that Denny Hulme during his driving stints at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that he slowed down to allow the McLaren/Amon car to catch up, interesting fact is Hulme, McLaren and Amon were all from New Zealand, I think if Lloyd Ruby had been Miles co driver at Le Mans they would have won the race as Ruby like Miles was of the same attitude as Miles was behind the wheel. 

A couple photos with Shelby and Miles in them.