We went to dinner last night for our anniversary at the Glass Onion restaurant near Asheville. I was feeling pretty proud of my new MINI date cruiser until I got there and saw a red GT40 parked across the street. Can you tell if it's the real thing? It had a 1965 NC plate.... I posted a couple more pictures on my blog... let me know what you think.

 

I would highly doubt it's the real thing. They have been selling in the millions lately. You get close up pics of it? Not to take away from your beautiful MINI of course

 

I think they are both beautiful... the best color...

Motor on!

 

I got a couple of closer shots and posted them on my blog. Let me know if you figure it out.

 

Well after doing some research I think it might be real! Can you apply old plates to new cars in North Carolina? In California you can as long as it didn't fall out of circulation. From what I read because it has that old plate it could be real, however if they allow you transfer old plates then he could have got it to make it look more authentic. Another way to tell is if the rims are held on by one massive lug, or is it like a regular car with 5 or 6 lugs? From the side picture it sure looks like one lug to me. These aren't proof that it's real, but they do help. The only real way to tell is to look at the chassis code. Apparently the GT40 remakes are so good they are very hard to tell apart...

 

My take on it is that it's a replica. The shot from the rear is what swung me.

 

Don't feel bad, very few cars out there not humbled by GT40 - new (ok, GT) or old!

 

I can't answer your question about NC laws on license plates, and I can't read the chassis code because I don't know where the owner lives. But the wheels look like Halibrand knock-offs. If it's a kit car it looks like a good one. I'll paste a larger photo below...

 

I thought the street version was the MKIII which had a much longer tail. I vote high end kit car.

 

Yeah, local laws are going to help tell the tale. In WA (I've got classic plates on my VW) the year of the vintage plate/tag must match the year of the vehicle on the title.

 

As far as the plate even if it is a kit car it all depends on how it is registered by DMV in your state. Some are actually listed as the year of the kit car remake. 1965 say. Some are listed as current year and noted as Special vehicle, or something.. Everything comes into play because of how it is registered, insurance, inspection, etc...

 

In what state(s) can you register a 2014 car as a 1965?

 

only if it is a KIT car, that is based on a certain year car. Some states do some states don't. If you follow any of the kit Cobra forums you will see this..

 

Looks like a great kit car to me. Unless I'm mistaken, with the exception of the prototype, the original factory Mark I through Mark IIIs did not have "GT40" on the side striping. They just said "FORD" or "FORD GT" and for the Mark I prototype, the GT was "G.T." and even then there wasn't a 40 designation. For the Mark Is through Mark IIIs, you were kind of expected to "know" they were GT40s because of their rarity, or it might have been on the hood. A lot of the kit cars say "GT40". Cool, though. However, yours is an ACTUAL factory MINI so is, of course, better.

 

Two observations, first I have seen a few original Ford GT and they have all been blue or silver,. That red just looks too up to date. Second, the stripe says "GT40". The originals say "FORD" or "FORD G.T." Nobody would paint an original the wrong color and add the wrong stripe.

Nice car none the less.

 

I am going on a limb here but, I am like 85% positive that it is a replica because it is LHD. I have not found without a doubt if the originals were RHD.

 

http://www.supercars.net/Pics?v=y&s=...40MarkIII1.jpg

 

The one I saw up close at a show was presented as an original and it was LHD.

 

Holmon Moody used to and may still build the Mark II GT and were working on 2 Mark II Roadsters. These had the "NASCAR" style 427 Ford and could be had with the 289. I couldn't tell by their website if the still do. The red one in the picture could be a Holmon and Moody car due to where the picture was taken.

Tom

 

An original GT-40 and a classic '60's Mini were on the track at Circuits of America this past weekend, didn't get a pic of both in the same shot.