A Guy Built Himself a Ford GT40 for Less Than the Price of a Toyota Camry

There are entire businesses built around recreating cars like the Ford GT40 for enthusiasts who don’t quite have ten figures burning a hole in their pocket. While those kits are a great solution for a number of folks, Ben Beames decided to take the whole recreation process one step further. Rather than buying an established kit car platform, Beames built his own take on the Ford GT40 Mk. II for around $25,000.

Beames is no stranger to taking on the task of building a historic race car, having previously recreated a Lotus 38 for his personal motorsports use. As a taller driver, Beames had to modify some aspects of that car’s original design to better suit his needs on the track. Leveraging the knowledge from that project, Beames decided to try his hand at crafting a slightly more liveable take on the Le Mans winning icon. Thankfully for all of us, Beames made a four-part YouTube series about the build and his thought process behind it.

The chassis is largely an aluminum monocoque, though there are some steel sub-structures at the front and rear of the car for additional strength. Beames styled the chassis after the original racer, using historic images and books about the car to develop his own take on the proven design. Beames shaped the 16- and 20-gauge aluminum components for the chassis with a press brake that he built with a little help from the internet. Unlike the genuine Ford racers made from spot-welded steel, Beames’ homebrew GT40 uses rivets to keep things stuck together. The lighter materials and rivets help the car tip the scales at around 1900 pounds. That’s about 600 pounds lighter than a genuine GT40, which can’t hurt in the excitement department. While the design itself is inspired by the Le Mans winner, some modifications were made to better suit the owner and his needs. Highlights include making the cockpit more livable for a tall driver, as well Beames’ own suspension layout front and rear constructed using various components popular in the aftermarket.