This GT 40 was a new roadster from FAV in England. The first appearance was in april 1965 during the Le Mans trials with John Whitmore.John Wyer entered Whitmore and Bob Bondurant and the new roadster GT/111 to the Targa Florio, thinking the open cockpit would be cooler for the Sicilian marathon. GT/111 had been repainted from white to a light Linden green for the event and with racing #194. Car and drivers seemed well-suited to the course, and GT/111 ran as high as third, despite only firing on seven cylinders. But on lap five, a knock-off spinner came undone and Whitmore lost a front wheel. He recovered it but couldn't find the spinner, until a friendly policeman reluctantly handed it over. Bondurant took over and continued to make steady progress until, on the last lap, he ran into loose gravel scattered by another car and hit a wall, tearing off the front wheel that Whitmore had lost earlier. Whilst the damage was minimal, it was enough to force retirement from the race.
So, despite the fact it was repairable, GT/111 languished in the back of the shop and was gradually stripped of usable parts. Then one day FAV stalwart John Etheridge came to work and found the yard had been cleaned up and the chassis of GT/111 had been removed by a scrap merchant. It was presumed to be destroyed for more than 40 years.
No more was heard of GT/111 until September 2006, and the story now properly belongs to GT/111's present owner, a noted 20-year racing veteran. At the Goodwood Revival, mechanics from GT40 experts Gelscoe Motorsport Limited were working on a GT40 in the paddock when a passerby remarked, 'I've got a GT40.' The mechanics kept on working and the spectator continued. 'Ours is in need of restoration. We've had it for years…this car's for sale, if you're interested.' Phone numbers were exchanged. Some days later, Gelscoe representatives went to see the car in a lockup garage in Stratford in East London and found GT/111 resting on an old mattress, which had kept it off the ground and from rusting away. It had no top and the windshield had been cut away. But they realised that it was quite different from the production cars they usually saw. For one thing, all the support ribs in the pontoons were perforated steel, which was unique to the 12 prototypes. They quickly realised that they were looking at one of the roadsters prototypes. So they agreed on a price and bought the car. At which point the owner produced the chassis plate GT/111.
Ronnie Spain, the GT 40 expert, was contacted and agreed to examine the car. Though he was skeptical, he brought all his chassis records and measurements and he was thrilled. His three-page report of December 2006 clearly conveyed his excitement, recognising details which proved GT/111's authenticity and noting new details unique to this car. Spain wrote: 'Únfortunately the years have developed in me a strong skeptical streak, due to all the supposed GT40 'discoveries' which had been proposed to me which then turned out to have absolutely nothing to do wîth the original chassis claimed, nor any other chassis either. As a result, I was, sadly, not really expecting this claim to come to any more than those claims, which had gone before.'Instead, on my arrival at Gelscoe and on being presented wîth the chassis in question, I was stunned to instantly realize I was looking at a genuine Ford GT40 chassis. And by being a genuine chassis, and a roadster, it could only be the chassis of the missing Targa Florio car #GT/111.''
So, one of the missing GT40 chassis has finally come out of the woodwork and could now be restored.
With the provenance confirmed, the restoration was started, aiming to have GT/111 restored in time for the 2007 Goodwood Revival, a mere nine months away. The car was restored to original specifications, wîth correct period 'non roller rockers' engine and zero-type ZF transaxle wîth the exposed linkage. The detail of the restoration is exacting the correct 'Raven Blue' colour monocoque including the parachute material seats, as opposed to the production cars which were black. The car was painted back the Linden Green colour it was for the 1965 Targa Florio Race. However, as wîth all restorations, GT/111 was barely completed in time for Goodwood. The owner remarked, 'I sat in the car on Thursday, and then it went straight to Goodwood. The next time I sat in it was during 20 minutes of qualifying.'
Teething troubles were worked out, just like 40 years ago, and since 2007, GT/111 has run the Spa 6 Hour race in 2007 and 2008 and the Le Mans Classic in 2008. Man and machine hit their stride wîth a 3rd at the 2009 Goodwood Whitsun Trophy, a 4th in the 2009 Spa 6 Hour race and 2nd in class at the 2010 Masters Festival at Brands Hatch.
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On www.asmonzaracing.com , there are more pictures of a racing event in 2015. In 2017 the car raced at Philips Island. In 2018, the car was at the LeMans classic. GT/111 is one of only four roadsters to survive.
This car, in a roadster version, started his career under the inscription of F.A.V. during the 1000 km Nurburgring 1965 in the hands of Richard Attwood and John Whitmore (#10). In July 1966, the car was, after receiving the 1966 specifications sold to Peter Sutcliffe. It was shipped to Australia to race there in 1966, came back to Britain and raced at Brands (as a shakedown) in august 1966. Sutcliff ended the race in P6. It was shipped again to South Africa for the Springbook Series.The car was also seen in the 9hours of Kyalami in 1966 (#2 Sutcliff-John Love, DNF). After a podium in the 3h Lourenço Marques and Kyalami and a P02 in Killarney in january 1967, the car came back to the UK in the roadster version. After a P6 in the 1000 km Spa (#4, Sutcliff-Redman) a plastic roof was added to it for the Silverstone race in may 1967. Sutcliff raced the car also in the Trophee d’Auvergne (P2) the 12 hours of Reims (P7) and the 6 hours of Brands Hatch(P16). The last race was end of august at Brands Hatch.
GT112 was completely rebuilt for 1968 as a "proper" GT40 with standard bodywork and nose. It raced in some local races in the UK; Bob Vincent driving and winning the Aintree Libre Race.
In October 1968, the car was sold to Neil Corner. he car was then raced in club races until 1970. It changed hands several times after that
In 2010, the car got back to its roadster configuration. As of 2008, GT/112 remains on display in the Brooklands Museum, UK.
