HIGHLIGHTS
An Extraordinary Example of the Ultimate Continuation GT40

Just One Owner From New with Fully Documented History

True Dual-Purpose Sports Car Ready for Vintage Racing or Exhilarating Touring

OVERVIEW
There are collector automobiles, there are racing legends, and then there are the handful of machines that permanently altered the course of motorsport history. The Ford GT40 belongs firmly in the latter category. Conceived in the wake of Henry Ford II's failed attempt to purchase Ferrari, the GT40 was created with one singular objective: to defeat the dominant Scuderia on the world's greatest endurance stage. The result was one of the most remarkable achievements in racing history, culminating in four consecutive overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966 through 1969. More than fifty years later, the GT40 remains one of the most celebrated competition cars ever built, admired not only for its extraordinary success but also for its unmistakable styling, technical sophistication, and enduring cultural significance.

The original production run was remarkably small, with just over one hundred GT40s completed during the 1960s. Today, surviving examples reside in many of the world's foremost collections, and values have climbed well into the eight-figure range. As these historic machines became increasingly unattainable, demand naturally grew for a continuation car worthy of the original's legacy.

Founded by Peter Thorp, Safir Engineering acquired the rights necessary to continue GT40 production during the early 1980s, utilizing original engineering drawings, tooling, and continuation chassis numbering. Safir ultimately secured ownership of the GT40 trademark itself, making the Mk V the only continuation automobile built under the official GT40 name. This distinction places the Safir Mk V in an entirely different category from the numerous GT40-inspired replicas that followed. It is the recognized continuation of the GT40 lineage, produced with factory authorization and engineered to preserve the character and construction of the Le Mans-winning cars.

Production remained exceptionally limited, with approximately forty examples ultimately completed. Their rarity, official pedigree, and remarkable fidelity to the originals have established the Safir Mk V as the benchmark continuation GT40.

Ordered in 1984 and completed in 1986, P/1117 was delivered new to renowned aerospace engineer and Pacific Northwest vintage racing stalwart Doug Kirk. Throughout decades of participation in the Northwest historic racing community, Kirk earned a reputation for thoughtful engineering, meticulous preparation, and an unwavering appreciation for significant competition machinery. Offered today directly from the Kirk Estate after more than four decades of ownership, the car remains one of the finest documented Safir GT40s known.

The accompanying archive is extraordinary. The history begins before the car itself, with the original correspondence between Doug Kirk and Peter Thorp as the GT40 was specified and ordered from Safir Engineering. Included are factory letters, invoices, shipping documentation, manuals, engineering information, technical correspondence, registration records, maintenance invoices, photographs, and decades of carefully organized records. Few collector automobiles—regardless of marque—can claim such an uninterrupted documentary history beginning before delivery and extending through a single long-term ownership.

Mechanically, the car is equally compelling. Constructed around the proper steel monocoque chassis, it is powered by a small-block Ford V8 based on the legendary Boss 302 architecture, paired with the desirable ZF five-speed manual transaxle. The result is an authentic GT40 driving experience defined by immediate throttle response, abundant torque, communicative steering, and the unmistakable soundtrack of a competition-bred small-block Ford.

Reflecting Doug Kirk's lifelong participation in vintage motorsport, the sale includes an exceptional collection of spares accumulated during his ownership. Particularly noteworthy are two additional complete sets of wheels mounted with racing tires, along with an extensive inventory of spare components, technical literature, manuals, and supporting materials that would be extraordinarily difficult to assemble today.

As appreciation for significant continuation automobiles has grown, the Safir GT40 Mk V has assumed a unique position within the collector car market. Unlike modern recreations, the Mk V possesses direct historical legitimacy through Safir Engineering's continuation program and official GT40 trademark. It offers an experience remarkably faithful to the original while remaining practical enough to enjoy on tours, demonstrations, concours events, and vintage racing gatherings.

The Shelby American World Registry book dedicates 10 pages to the history of Safir and the 40 continuation cars that were manufactured. Of important note, in that Registry synopsis, GT40 historian Ronnie Spain summed up his detailed dissertation on the Safir MK V by stating simply – “The Mk V is a GT40.” Photos of this exciting story in the Registry are included in the gallery below.

Ultimately, exceptional collector automobiles are defined by the convergence of rarity, provenance, historical significance, mechanical excellence, and completeness. This Safir GT40 possesses each of those qualities in abundance. One of approximately forty examples produced, delivered new to Doug Kirk, retained by him for more than forty years, offered from the Kirk Estate, accompanied by an unparalleled documentary archive, powered by a Boss 302-based Ford V8 and including extensive spares together with two additional racing wheel-and-tire assemblies, it represents one of the most compelling Safir GT40 Mk Vs ever offered publicly.

Please contact Jason at +1-206-355-7727 or Hans at +1-425-417-5877 for more information on this vehicle.