'Ford v Ferrari' GT40 featured in limited-time Volo Auto Museum exhibit
VOLO - If you've seen "Ford v Ferrari," you know it's a masterful peek at an exceptional segment of automotive history.
Fans will be excited to know that starting Saturday (Dec. 21) and running through Jan. 5, 2020, they can get a first-hand peek at - and picture with - one of the GT40s from the likely Best Picture-contending film. The green and white No. 95 car will be featured in a special exhibit at the Volo Auto Museum, along with a Cobra Roadster and a Daytona Coupe.
"We have the Holman and Moody car from 'Ford v Ferrari'," said Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum at 27582 Volo Village Road.
"This was one of those ask-for-forgiveness rather than ask-for-permission moments," he continued, referring to a post-buy conversation with his father, museum founder Greg Grams, regarding the undisclosed purchase price. "There really hasn't been a thoroughbred car movie like this in a long time. This would be comparable to having a car from the movie 'Bullitt' or 'Le Mans.'"
The museum has a history with the real-life Carroll Shelby, portrayed in the movie by Matt Damon. Shelby was a car designer, race car driver and entrepreneur best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Co. The movie depicts the start of Shelby's involvement with Ford, which hired him in the mid 1960s to build a car that could beat Enzo Ferrari's at the Le Mans in France after an unsuccessful bid by Ford to buy the then financially struggling Ferrari company.
Volo Auto Museum once owned one of Shelby's personally driven cars - a 1967 Shelby GT 500 convertible prototype - as well as a Shelby Series 1. Shelby asked that the prototype GT500 appear with him at Road America in Wisconsin in 2008. He accidentally sliced the seat with his suspenders when he sat in it, damage the museum did not repair since it had been inflicted by the legend himself.
The car to be on limited display starting Saturday is the one shown finishing second in a pivotal scene as driver Ken Miles, portrayed by Christian Bale, passes the teammate driving it at Daytona.
"This is one of 12 GT40 replicas built for the movie," Grams said. "It weighs only 2,600 pounds and has a Chevy LS 3, 430-horsepower engine with a Porsche transaxle. They put the same engine in all of the featured cars for ease of maintenance."
Grams said he talked to the man who drove the car in the movie, famed race car driver Paul Dallenbach, who said he spent a lot of time doing 130 mph in the car. It handles extremely well - except for the vintage-look tires, he told Grams.
"This is not just some movie prop," Grams said. "It's also an actual race car. When it arrived, we found paperwork in it laying out a race scene, which we'll include in our display.
"For auto movie buffs - and race car fans - this car is exceptional and a must-see," he said. "But don't wait, because this display will be featured for a limited time."
The Volo Auto Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, closing at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day. It features roughly 400 classic, muscle and film-famous cars as well as numerous other rarities. Admission is $15.95 for adults, $8.95 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children 4 and younger. For other information, call 815-385-3644, visit volocars.com or find Volo Auto Museum on Facebook.