Book showing some original GT40s

[Historybuff]

Those searching for books on the Ford GT40s of old
might want to look at the ad for a book entitled:


Ford GT40 and the New Ford GT by Al Axelrod, Brian Winer and Wallace Wyss
224 pg.
hardbound, vertical format
32 pages color
over 100 b & w pictures
one of the co-authors, Brian Winer, owns a Safir Mk. V which was a continuation
car sanctioned by Ford (when they accidentally sold Safir the name "GT40")
The book is a limited edition, not available from MBI or at chain bookstores but is usually found on eBay every weekend starting at about $59.95

One of the rare pictures in the book shows Ken Miles in a GT40 J-car testing at Riverside, probably in the same test session where he had a fatal crash.
Other photos show the '64 needle nose version of which Ford never kept a sample of.
And there's a GT40 targa in there like the one Dean Jeffries has for sale.Half the book is devoted to the original GTs and half to the new one.

[Bill Kesner]

Thanks Historybuff! I'll check it out.

- Bill -

[Excaliber]

Speaking of books, I bid $550 on a signed copy of "Daytona Coupes" and was outbid and it STILL hasn't met reserve! How much is this thing worth?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...0%3D%26fvi%3D1

Item # 300171170269

At $59 bucks maybe I better just stay with the GT's...

[Bill Kesner]

Hey Ernie,

The signed copy version is expensive and limited. I have seen this version sell
in the neighborhood between $650-$1500.

- Bill -

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by Historybuff

Those searching for books on the Ford GT40s of old
might want to look at the ad for a book entitled:


over 100 b & w pictures
one of the co-authors, Brian Winer, owns a Safir Mk. V which was a continuation
car sanctioned by Ford (when they accidentally sold Safir the name "GT40")

Wally,

How's the Beaver doing?

Ford did not "sell" the GT40 trademark to Safir, they just never registered it or tried to enforce the trademark and thus, they do not "own" it now as technically, they never did. Besides, Carroll Shelby said that there is NO such thing as a "GT40"...he says it was an invention of the British press ( he contends it was always just the "Ford GT".). I guess Ford used the "GT40" in the parts manual and cast it on numerous parts just for yucks!

How about sending Brent a contribution as you seem to often be hawking your wares here.......(Bill, if he doesn't sic "Da Bunnies" on him)

Rick

[Naumoff]

I found a copy of Shelby GT40 by Dave Friedman at Borders Books.

Excellent. 158 pages of black and white and color pictures from the Shelby Amercan original archives from 1964-1967.
Pictures of delivery by air of the failed F.A.V. GT40s to Shelby.

lots of cool stuff

[Historybuff]

That book was published at the behest of George Stauffer of Blue Mounds WI who says he is a Cobra and Ford GT dealer (real ones).
He owns several.
He commissioned the book on the Daytona and sheepherded all the writers and photographers and once he got what he wanted, took off his publisher's
hat and went back to finding, restoring and selling his favorite cars.
Hence he is not motivated to constantly put the book back in print because he is not a publisher.
I think the first edition had one signature (16 page section) printed upside down, maybe you can get a deal on that. It is a very rare book and until George unbends it will stay rare. But you can see why he is not interested in having someone else publish it. Publishers tend to offer a paltry 10% commission on a book and by being publisher he gets to keep 100% of the money. I guess the lesson is, when you get a chance to buy a first edition, and have it in your hand, buy it...I didn't so now I can only check it out of the library (all libraries can find a book for you for $2!). I found one library with it, ordered it but they refused to sell it to me though I pointed out it was so dog-eared it was missing pages!

[Dwight]

the bid is $2000 with 23 hours to go?????????


Dwight

[Rick Parker]

Stupid money! More money than sense!

That's more than a real GT350 could be bought for in 1971. I looked at one for $1700, that was in good shape.

[Bill Kesner]

Your up Ernie.

$2100.00 and she's possibly yours!

- Bill -

[Excaliber]

You know jdog says if you can't run with the big dogs, stay under the porch, and thats where you'll find me.

[Trevor Legate]

Quite amusing really - all those people employed by Ford and not a single one thought to register the GT40 title. Amazing. Equally, Lancia forgot to register the Stratos name - and they've lost it to the guy who bothered to check!

I don't expect the Daytona book to be republished any time soon, for numerous reasons......

[Bill Kesner]

Hi guys.....

Question out there for those that own these books. I have a friend that has the above book still wrapped, and enclosed with the hard cover. Is there a way to tell if it's the Limited Signature Copy just by the looking at the exterior of the book? He's not sure as he bought it 2nd hand, and never opened it.

- Bill -

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Bill Kesner

Hi guys.....

Question out there for those that own these books. I have a friend that has the above book still wrapped, and enclosed with the hard cover. Is there a way to tell if it's the Limited Signature Copy just by the looking at the exterior of the book? He's not sure as he bought it 2nd hand, and never opened it.

- Bill -

What is the point of buying the book and not reading it?

I don't have the limited edition, but I bought mine from Peter Brock at a book signing at a restoration shop outside of Philly.

[Bill Kesner]

Exactly!

Before I offer to buy it from him, is there anything noticeable that differs between the 2-books. I would love the limited signed edition, and I don't know if this is it. He won't unrap the book till it's bought.

- Bill -

[Yetiman]

There were only 400 copies printed, and they have a serial number plate similar to the Cobra vin plate on the inside of the front cover.

I don't recall how many were signed editions (43 signatures on two pages, one page drivers, the other crew members There is also a certification signed by stauffer that the signatures are authentic).

Originally the book sold for $100 unsigned and $400 for signed versions.

The unsigned ones seem to range between $1100 and $1600 lately and signed versions seem to be around $2500 in the last two years. (not an official appraisal, just what I have been seeing)

I have a copy of each in my safe deposit box. I paid market value at the time for the unsigned one, and paid around $385 total for the signed one which I bought from a bookseller in Europe and had shipped. I didn't even realize it was a signed version when I was buying it !
When they reach a certain price I may sell one or the other, but their nowhere near there yet.

[Historybuff]

Sometimes people on this site refer to "the bunnies."
My ref. to it came during the case a few years back
where the lady from Fullerton CA lit herself up
leaving her $3 mi. Daytona Cobra in hiding.
She had toted two bunnies with her to the point where she was found, the rabbits immolated in some twisted Viking we-all-tie-together ritual.
I say she was murdered as a mile seems like a long way to trudge in the dark toting
some gasoline and two caged bunnies. But that's all water under the bridge
now, as nobody cares about her anymore, just the car.

Now bunnies are back in Shelby history with Bill Neale in news releases explaining how
the bunny came to be the centerpiece of the Terlingua Race team logo.

So somehow in Shelby history you just can't get away from bunnies....

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Historybuff

Sometimes people on this site refer to "the bunnies."
My ref. to it came during the case a few years back
where the lady from Fullerton CA lit herself up
leaving her $3 mi. Daytona Cobra in hiding.
She had toted two bunnies with her to the point where she was found, the rabbits immolated in some twisted Viking we-all-tie-together ritual.
I say she was murdered as a mile seems like a long way to trudge in the dark toting
some gasoline and two caged bunnies. But that's all water under the bridge
now, as nobody cares about her anymore, just the car.

Now bunnies are back in Shelby history with Bill Neale in news releases explaining how
the bunny came to be the centerpiece of the Terlingua Race team logo.

So somehow in Shelby history you just can't get away from bunnies....

Umm, aren't you Wally? The guy who does not get along with my neighbor MrMustang. You know MrMustang says "da bunnies", not "the bunnies". I occassionally plagiarize MrMustang and use "da bunnies" myself.

I was just took a look at my copy of "Shelby's Wildlife" revised edition and noticed that the dust jacket was ripped. I'm don't think that will effect the resale value too much though. It was probably the first Shelby related book I bought.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by Bill Kesner

Hi guys.....

Question out there for those that own these books. I have a friend that has the above book still wrapped, and enclosed with the hard cover. Is there a way to tell if it's the Limited Signature Copy just by the looking at the exterior of the book? He's not sure as he bought it 2nd hand, and never opened it.

- Bill -

When you say hard cover, do you mean a hard slip case? Then maybe that is a limited edition. My copy just has a paper dust jacket.

I just noticed that I saved the post card to the book signing.

[Historybuff]

Only a few of the autographed versions were available when the Daytona book came out. You might have had to order them in advance. I remember talking to Pete Brock about the Daytona book who told me unbound signatures (16 pages at a time which are folded into a book) were taken to Europe by someone involved in the project and carried around to the race drivers & such who autographed the book. This round about tour of the Continent must have cost thousands just in fuel & hotel costs. So when you get one autographed by people like Dan Gurney and various European drivers, you are paying for the privilege of having a book they recognize as telling the story like it is (was). I think someday there will be a 10-lb. coffee table book on Cobra racing but pricewise it will have to be around $150-$300 to cover everything. Until that's done The Cobra-Ferrari Wars is a good one that's still only $100. You can carry it around to car events and occasionally find an ex-Shelby driver or mechanic who can autograph it, each autograph adding to its value (to my mind anyhow).