1965
See also : Cars 1960s II Ferrari after 1962 US cars Art by women ca 1960 Lichtenstein Modern China Zao Wou-Ki Modern Italian art Canada
1965 Quantum Painting
2017 SOLD for $ 28M including premium
Roy Lichtenstein questions the fundamental principles of painting by appropriating images from the comics, coloring large surfaces on his canvases with Ben-day dots and transforming a masterpiece into a reference for derision.
Roy finds in the comics the most varied inspiration. A book entitled The painter was published in October 1964 : a mad artist annihilates his own work with a few brush strokes. The image shows dripping, single drops and even the fraying when the paint becomes rarer on the bristles of the brush at the end of the raging gesture.
Roy uses this theme one year later while removing the text that expressed the artist's nightmare. His first painting simply titled Brushstroke is close to the original drawing with hand and brush in the foreground. He goes further : is a painting anything else than a set of brush strokes on a surface ? In the rest of his series he removes the hand and the brush, leaving alone in the image two stacked strokes.
On May 17 in New York, Christie's sells Red and White Brushstrokes, a canvas 122 x 173 cm painted in 1965, lot 57 B estimated $ 25M. The two wide stripes reproducing beside their friction the avatars of the original gesture are horizontal in a slightly rising direction. It is probably not by chance that the whole image resembles a damaged flowing flag.
Going much deeper than the author of the comics Roy reaches the quantum element of painting. He moves in the same line as Jasper Johns or Frank Stella for whom the theme is less important than the process for building the artwork.
By transforming his Brushstrokes into sculptures three decades later Roy completes this ingenious journey in the mockery of painting. After all, if we look for a parallel in other artistic actions, is cinema anything else than a projection of light through a scrolling sequence of colored filters ?
Roy finds in the comics the most varied inspiration. A book entitled The painter was published in October 1964 : a mad artist annihilates his own work with a few brush strokes. The image shows dripping, single drops and even the fraying when the paint becomes rarer on the bristles of the brush at the end of the raging gesture.
Roy uses this theme one year later while removing the text that expressed the artist's nightmare. His first painting simply titled Brushstroke is close to the original drawing with hand and brush in the foreground. He goes further : is a painting anything else than a set of brush strokes on a surface ? In the rest of his series he removes the hand and the brush, leaving alone in the image two stacked strokes.
On May 17 in New York, Christie's sells Red and White Brushstrokes, a canvas 122 x 173 cm painted in 1965, lot 57 B estimated $ 25M. The two wide stripes reproducing beside their friction the avatars of the original gesture are horizontal in a slightly rising direction. It is probably not by chance that the whole image resembles a damaged flowing flag.
Going much deeper than the author of the comics Roy reaches the quantum element of painting. He moves in the same line as Jasper Johns or Frank Stella for whom the theme is less important than the process for building the artwork.
By transforming his Brushstrokes into sculptures three decades later Roy completes this ingenious journey in the mockery of painting. After all, if we look for a parallel in other artistic actions, is cinema anything else than a projection of light through a scrolling sequence of colored filters ?
1965 landscape by Fu Baoshi
2017 SOLD for RMB 187M including premium by Poly
1965 Study of Colors from the Swiss Mountains
2016 SOLD for RMB 165M yuan including premium
Zhang Daqian leaves mainland China after the Second World War for political reasons. This great connoisseur of Chinese graphic arts now travels a lot.
In Brazil where he settled in 1953 or during his frequent visits to the Swiss Alps, he discovered landscapes that do not exist in China. He developed in the mid-1960s an entirely new pictorial style based on splashes of colors to express from memory this new sensory experience with a spontaneity of execution inspired by the Action Painting.
For these views, Zhang sometimes uses very large formats. On December 4 in Beijing, Poly Auction sells as lot 2030 an ink and colors on silk 173 x 344 cm on the theme of the Swiss snowy mountain.
This artwork realized in 1965 is one of the first of this new phase in the art of Zhang. The horizon reveals the mountain atmosphere with twin peaks licked by clouds but the foreground is a study of colors close to abstraction from where the drawing is absent.
In the next years, Zhang will go back to more figuration in a subtle blend of splash and line. An interpretation 176 x 264 cm of Lake Achensee made in 1968 in ink and colors on silk was sold for RMB 100M yuan including premium by China Guardian on May 17, 2010.
In Brazil where he settled in 1953 or during his frequent visits to the Swiss Alps, he discovered landscapes that do not exist in China. He developed in the mid-1960s an entirely new pictorial style based on splashes of colors to express from memory this new sensory experience with a spontaneity of execution inspired by the Action Painting.
For these views, Zhang sometimes uses very large formats. On December 4 in Beijing, Poly Auction sells as lot 2030 an ink and colors on silk 173 x 344 cm on the theme of the Swiss snowy mountain.
This artwork realized in 1965 is one of the first of this new phase in the art of Zhang. The horizon reveals the mountain atmosphere with twin peaks licked by clouds but the foreground is a study of colors close to abstraction from where the drawing is absent.
In the next years, Zhang will go back to more figuration in a subtle blend of splash and line. An interpretation 176 x 264 cm of Lake Achensee made in 1968 in ink and colors on silk was sold for RMB 100M yuan including premium by China Guardian on May 17, 2010.
1965 Concetto Spaziale Attese by Fontana
2015 SOLD for $ 16.4M including premium by Christie's
1965 Blows through a Red Wall
2015 SOLD for $ 16M including premium
Concetto spaziale (spatial concept) is the generic title by which Lucio Fontana defines his art in the 1960s. Lacerations and holes are transforming a monochrome canvas into a kind of sculpture whose invisible reverse side expresses the beyond, impossible to reach.
The film Deserto Rosso realized by his compatriot Antonioni is released in 1964. The director introduced in this work a strong aesthetic intent including saturated colors that contrast dramatically within a bleak surrounding industrial city.
Fontana watches the movie in Venice in 1965. He comes back to his studio with a renewed mystical impulse. The artist creates blade blows into the canvas as sharp as a stroke by a brush. Imitating the wall viewed in the film, Fontana slashes 24 vertical razor lines in parallel in a red painted canvas 65 x 200 cm. A few autograph words inscribed on the reverse are indicating the source of his inspiration.
This artwork is estimated $ 15M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 11, lot 8.
For the artist, each incision strengthens his hope of attaining the knowledge. He gives the name of Attese (expectations) to this sub-series. He exploits this theme extensively on all pure colors, with a variable number of strokes. When only one scar affects the canvas, the work becomes Attesa in the singular. A red Attesa 197 x 144 cm was sold for £ 6.7 million including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2008.
The price of an Attese depends on the complexity of the positioning of the lines which the perfect gesture of the artist's hand is reproducing flawless. A white Attese 80 x 100 cm with a total of 23 slightly oblique cuts in two rows was sold for £ 8.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015. A red Attese 116 x 90 cm with a total of 14 cuts in two rows was sold for $ 16.4M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's to introduce the Concetto Spaziale - Attese of the next sale.
The film Deserto Rosso realized by his compatriot Antonioni is released in 1964. The director introduced in this work a strong aesthetic intent including saturated colors that contrast dramatically within a bleak surrounding industrial city.
Fontana watches the movie in Venice in 1965. He comes back to his studio with a renewed mystical impulse. The artist creates blade blows into the canvas as sharp as a stroke by a brush. Imitating the wall viewed in the film, Fontana slashes 24 vertical razor lines in parallel in a red painted canvas 65 x 200 cm. A few autograph words inscribed on the reverse are indicating the source of his inspiration.
This artwork is estimated $ 15M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on November 11, lot 8.
For the artist, each incision strengthens his hope of attaining the knowledge. He gives the name of Attese (expectations) to this sub-series. He exploits this theme extensively on all pure colors, with a variable number of strokes. When only one scar affects the canvas, the work becomes Attesa in the singular. A red Attesa 197 x 144 cm was sold for £ 6.7 million including premium by Christie's on February 6, 2008.
The price of an Attese depends on the complexity of the positioning of the lines which the perfect gesture of the artist's hand is reproducing flawless. A white Attese 80 x 100 cm with a total of 23 slightly oblique cuts in two rows was sold for £ 8.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015. A red Attese 116 x 90 cm with a total of 14 cuts in two rows was sold for $ 16.4M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's to introduce the Concetto Spaziale - Attese of the next sale.
1965 Zhang Daqian from Mogu to Modern
2017 SOLD for HK$ 102M including premium
Zhang Daqian began by being the best and most knowledgeable copyist of the Chinese graphic art from all periods. His moving to the vicinity of Sao Paulo in 1954 opens to him the landscapes of the world and the contact with the artistic avant-gardes. He meets Picasso in Antibes in 1956.
The mogu is a very old technique that was already practiced under the Tang, based on the observation that graphic figuration can be obtained by wash without a drawing.
Zhang brings new ideas through the use of splashes in superimposed layers for creating rare colors. In 1965 he experiments his new technique now close to abstraction with varied themes : landscapes, lotus.
Some landscapes are located in the Swiss mountains. A snowy landscape 173 x 344 cm was sold for RMB 165M yuan including premium by Poly on December 4, 2016.
Others evoke the ancient China by their title and by the insertion at the completion of the creative process of small scattered houses according to the traditional style of drawing.
Splendor of the Peak, ink and color on silk 172 x 90 cm, was sold for HK $ 34M including premium by Christie's on November 26, 2016. With a provenance from the Mei Yun Tang collection, Ancient Temples amidst Clouds, ink and color on gold paper of same size, was sold for HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on May 31, 2011 and will be sold by Christie's on May 30 in Hong Kong, lot 8001.
This new style makes Zhang busy until the end of his life. Titled An Invitation to Rusticate, a magnificent 67 x 188 cm color study made in 1966 was sold for HK $ 72M including premium by Sotheby's on May 27, 2013. Realized in 1982, Peach Blossom Spring is the culmination of these subtle mingles of abstract colors and detailed drawings. This ink and colors 209 x 92 cm was sold for HK $ 270M including premium by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016.
The mogu is a very old technique that was already practiced under the Tang, based on the observation that graphic figuration can be obtained by wash without a drawing.
Zhang brings new ideas through the use of splashes in superimposed layers for creating rare colors. In 1965 he experiments his new technique now close to abstraction with varied themes : landscapes, lotus.
Some landscapes are located in the Swiss mountains. A snowy landscape 173 x 344 cm was sold for RMB 165M yuan including premium by Poly on December 4, 2016.
Others evoke the ancient China by their title and by the insertion at the completion of the creative process of small scattered houses according to the traditional style of drawing.
Splendor of the Peak, ink and color on silk 172 x 90 cm, was sold for HK $ 34M including premium by Christie's on November 26, 2016. With a provenance from the Mei Yun Tang collection, Ancient Temples amidst Clouds, ink and color on gold paper of same size, was sold for HK $ 68M including premium by Sotheby's on May 31, 2011 and will be sold by Christie's on May 30 in Hong Kong, lot 8001.
This new style makes Zhang busy until the end of his life. Titled An Invitation to Rusticate, a magnificent 67 x 188 cm color study made in 1966 was sold for HK $ 72M including premium by Sotheby's on May 27, 2013. Realized in 1982, Peach Blossom Spring is the culmination of these subtle mingles of abstract colors and detailed drawings. This ink and colors 209 x 92 cm was sold for HK $ 270M including premium by Sotheby's on April 5, 2016.
1965 15.02.65 by Zao Wou-ki
2019 SOLD for HK$ 102M including premium by Sotheby's
1965 Twenty Four Slashes in a Canvas
2018 SOLD for £ 8.7M including premium
Under the Spazialismo wording Lucio Fontana explores as early as 1947 a resolutely minimalist abstract art, neither really painting nor really sculpture, which will lead him to state that he has discovered the cosmic dimension, an artistic representation of the infinity. The more or less large hollows in the supporting structure invite the observer to imagine the beyond.
From 1960 he lacerated with his cutter the canvases coated with a monochrome water paint. This is not a perforation because the sharpness of the gesture does not remove material. It is a gate that will open to mystic knowledge. He titled Concetto spaziale - Attese (Space concept - expectation) this important series which he will execute in hundreds of units with various colors until his death in 1968.
The action of the knife becomes a reflex that allows longer, more straight and tighter slashes, always vertical or slightly leaning. His skill reaches its peak in 1965. The rest of the discussion here below only refers to Attese made on that year.
A red 116 x 90 cm Attese with 14 cuts on two rows was sold for $ 16.4M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015. Another red 65 x 200 cm with 24 cuts in one row was sold for $ 16M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015. These configurations have not been exceeded by the artist and are probably some technological limitations before risking a damage to the canvas.
White is the symbol of purity. A white Attese 80 x 100 cm with 23 cuts in two rows was sold for £ 8.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
On March 6 in London, Christie's sells a maximum sized Attese with 24 cuts in a single row, lot 17 estimated £ 8M.
This work has some unique features. The matte white painted canvas is inserted into a black lacquered wood frame 68 x 203 x 5.5 cm which also includes an oblique bar. The glossy lacquer adds to the multidimensional illusion by reflecting the ambient room in the spirit of Pistoletto's mirror paintings.
Fontana commented his best works with an autograph inscription on the back side. He wrote about this one "Yesterday Tro-tro Klein visited me". Tro-tro is Klein's widow and Uecker's sister. Fontana has made a unique synthesis between his spatialism and the Zero Group's research on the expressive power of white monochromes.
From 1960 he lacerated with his cutter the canvases coated with a monochrome water paint. This is not a perforation because the sharpness of the gesture does not remove material. It is a gate that will open to mystic knowledge. He titled Concetto spaziale - Attese (Space concept - expectation) this important series which he will execute in hundreds of units with various colors until his death in 1968.
The action of the knife becomes a reflex that allows longer, more straight and tighter slashes, always vertical or slightly leaning. His skill reaches its peak in 1965. The rest of the discussion here below only refers to Attese made on that year.
A red 116 x 90 cm Attese with 14 cuts on two rows was sold for $ 16.4M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015. Another red 65 x 200 cm with 24 cuts in one row was sold for $ 16M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015. These configurations have not been exceeded by the artist and are probably some technological limitations before risking a damage to the canvas.
White is the symbol of purity. A white Attese 80 x 100 cm with 23 cuts in two rows was sold for £ 8.4M including premium by Sotheby's on February 10, 2015.
On March 6 in London, Christie's sells a maximum sized Attese with 24 cuts in a single row, lot 17 estimated £ 8M.
This work has some unique features. The matte white painted canvas is inserted into a black lacquered wood frame 68 x 203 x 5.5 cm which also includes an oblique bar. The glossy lacquer adds to the multidimensional illusion by reflecting the ambient room in the spirit of Pistoletto's mirror paintings.
Fontana commented his best works with an autograph inscription on the back side. He wrote about this one "Yesterday Tro-tro Klein visited me". Tro-tro is Klein's widow and Uecker's sister. Fontana has made a unique synthesis between his spatialism and the Zero Group's research on the expressive power of white monochromes.
1965 Expectations for the Cosmos
2015 SOLD for £ 8.4M including premium
Lucio Fontana was a sculptor who eventually achieved the feat of evoking space while using flat surfaces. The generic title he gave to much of his post war work, Concetto Spaziale, marks this continuous quest.
The subgroup Concetto Spaziale - Attese is the most prolific and most popular in his art. In 1965, Fontana goes indeed beyond minimalism by lacerating with his razor strictly monochromatic canvases, including the most pristine white.
His gesture joined the action painting but the absolute purity of the incision and the skilful arrangement of cuts in the surface of the fabric make these Attese a unique medium in the history of art.
Fontana expresses by his cuts the promise to perceive the cosmic infinity through the canvas, in a more easily understandable way for the observer than the abstract paintings by Mondrian. Attese means Expectations.
A Concetto Spaziale - Attese 80 x 100 cm executed in 1965 in water-color white paint is estimated £ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 10, lot 8.
With 23 cuts spread in two rows, it is the most complex realization of the series. Fontana was aware that the success of this specimen was great, and he used it for the very exceptional photographic report in which he unveiled the mechanism of his creative act.
The subgroup Concetto Spaziale - Attese is the most prolific and most popular in his art. In 1965, Fontana goes indeed beyond minimalism by lacerating with his razor strictly monochromatic canvases, including the most pristine white.
His gesture joined the action painting but the absolute purity of the incision and the skilful arrangement of cuts in the surface of the fabric make these Attese a unique medium in the history of art.
Fontana expresses by his cuts the promise to perceive the cosmic infinity through the canvas, in a more easily understandable way for the observer than the abstract paintings by Mondrian. Attese means Expectations.
A Concetto Spaziale - Attese 80 x 100 cm executed in 1965 in water-color white paint is estimated £ 5M for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 10, lot 8.
With 23 cuts spread in two rows, it is the most complex realization of the series. Fontana was aware that the success of this specimen was great, and he used it for the very exceptional photographic report in which he unveiled the mechanism of his creative act.
1965 Orange Grove by Agnes Martin
2016 SOLD for $ 10.7M including premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1965 Baselitz facing the Berlin Wall
2017 SOLD for £ 7.5M including premium
A native of Saxony, Baselitz lives in West Berlin at the time of the construction of the wall in 1961. He is 23 years old. His painting will be extremely brutal in the following of Grosz and Beckmann. He attracts attention in 1963 by a scandalous exhibition including sexual artworks which express his shame about the evolution of Germany.
In 1965 and 1966 he executed under the generic title Helden (heroes) an extensive series of paintings, drawings and engravings on the theme of the returning soldier. The characters are unpleasant with their small head on an oversized body. They are covered with wounds and have tattered clothes and bare feet. By a refinement in the mockery the attitude of these defeated soldiers remains defiant in the graphic style of the Soviet realism.
On March 8 in London, Sotheby's sells Mit Roter Fahne, oil on canvas 162 x 131 cm painted in 1965, lot 6 estimated £ 6,5M.
The character grabs the handle of an enormous red flag. This symbol of the Cold War is not raised but sweeps the ground. The torn cloth of the character is opened from the neck to the sex that does not even need to be visible to reinforce the indecency.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
In 1965 and 1966 he executed under the generic title Helden (heroes) an extensive series of paintings, drawings and engravings on the theme of the returning soldier. The characters are unpleasant with their small head on an oversized body. They are covered with wounds and have tattered clothes and bare feet. By a refinement in the mockery the attitude of these defeated soldiers remains defiant in the graphic style of the Soviet realism.
On March 8 in London, Sotheby's sells Mit Roter Fahne, oil on canvas 162 x 131 cm painted in 1965, lot 6 estimated £ 6,5M.
The character grabs the handle of an enormous red flag. This symbol of the Cold War is not raised but sweeps the ground. The torn cloth of the character is opened from the neck to the sex that does not even need to be visible to reinforce the indecency.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1965 Speciale for Pininfarina
2018 SOLD for $ 8.1M including premium
Battista Farina leaves in 1961 the management of his Carrozzeria Pininfarina company to his son Sergio and his son-in-law Renzo Carli. He officially takes in the same year the surname Pininfarina.
The two major subcontractors of Ferrari, Pininfarina and Scaglietti, are designers and manufacturers of bodywork but the repartition of tasks between these two companies is facilitated by the preference of Battista Pininfarina for development.
In 1964 the 250 GT chassis had terminated its great career. It is replaced by the 275 whose 3.3-liter engine is slightly more powerful, still in V12. It is now necessary to dress it in Berlinetta (GTB) and Spyder (GTS) and to foresee the adaptation of the GTB for the competition.
Two chassis are entrusted by Ferrari to Pininfarina. One of them is used for the development of the GTB. The other car will be a GTB Speciale fitted with all the modifications that will please Battista Pininfarina.
This one-off 275 GTB Speciale has the same shape as the original short nose GTB variant but differs in multiple details that enhance elegance and comfort. Its transfer of ownership from Ferrari to Carrozzeria Pininfarina is carried out in March 1965. Unveiled at St. Moritz in a press conference, this demonstrator of the taste and skill of Battista Pininfarina is exhibited in the motor shows of Frankfurt, Paris, Turin and Brussels.
Battista Pininfarina dies on April 3, 1966 without having stopped his activity. Unveiled in the previous month, the 1600 Duetto of Alfa Romeo is still attributed to his design. Sold in January 1966, the 275 GTB Speciale is no longer available at that time at the Carrozzeria. To pay homage to his father, Sergio presents the Automobile Club de l'Ouest with another Speciale also from 1965, the prototype of the Dino berlinetta, sold by Artcurial on February 10, 2017 for € 4,4M including premium.
Repainted in 1992 in its exquisite original Acqua Verde Metallizzato, the 275 GTB Speciale is estimated $ 8M for sale by Gooding in Scottsdale on January 20, lot 134. Here is the link to the press release.
The two major subcontractors of Ferrari, Pininfarina and Scaglietti, are designers and manufacturers of bodywork but the repartition of tasks between these two companies is facilitated by the preference of Battista Pininfarina for development.
In 1964 the 250 GT chassis had terminated its great career. It is replaced by the 275 whose 3.3-liter engine is slightly more powerful, still in V12. It is now necessary to dress it in Berlinetta (GTB) and Spyder (GTS) and to foresee the adaptation of the GTB for the competition.
Two chassis are entrusted by Ferrari to Pininfarina. One of them is used for the development of the GTB. The other car will be a GTB Speciale fitted with all the modifications that will please Battista Pininfarina.
This one-off 275 GTB Speciale has the same shape as the original short nose GTB variant but differs in multiple details that enhance elegance and comfort. Its transfer of ownership from Ferrari to Carrozzeria Pininfarina is carried out in March 1965. Unveiled at St. Moritz in a press conference, this demonstrator of the taste and skill of Battista Pininfarina is exhibited in the motor shows of Frankfurt, Paris, Turin and Brussels.
Battista Pininfarina dies on April 3, 1966 without having stopped his activity. Unveiled in the previous month, the 1600 Duetto of Alfa Romeo is still attributed to his design. Sold in January 1966, the 275 GTB Speciale is no longer available at that time at the Carrozzeria. To pay homage to his father, Sergio presents the Automobile Club de l'Ouest with another Speciale also from 1965, the prototype of the Dino berlinetta, sold by Artcurial on February 10, 2017 for € 4,4M including premium.
Repainted in 1992 in its exquisite original Acqua Verde Metallizzato, the 275 GTB Speciale is estimated $ 8M for sale by Gooding in Scottsdale on January 20, lot 134. Here is the link to the press release.
1965 Shelby competing with Ferrari
2009 SOLD 7.7 M$ including premium
After leaving the competition in 1960, the driver Carroll Shelby began building cars. His ambition was to compete with Ferrari, no less! He managed the development of its models by fitting British AC Cobra chassis with Ford engines.
Ford offered a particularly favorable context to second Shelby's project: the Mustang, created in 1964, needed to increase its dominance and its market share against Chevrolet and Plymouth.
Only six copies of the 1965 Daytona Cobra Coupe were built. This model is the most prestigious of Shelby. One of them came in an auction organized by Mecum on May 15 in Indianapolis.
A new press release indicates that this car has not been sold, but that an after-sale offer was made at $ 7.5 million. It was not enough. On the occasion of the very large sessions of auctions of mid-August, Mecum presents this vehicle again, on August 15 in Monterey.
POST SALE COMMENT
This morning, the auction house is rightly proud to announce that their Cobra broke the auction record for an American car: $ 7.25 million. Releases prior to the sale had correctly shown that this was an exceptional lot.
This price does not include fees. This would be consistent with the information that I indicated in my article saying that a proposal to $ 7.5 million had been refused.
Ford offered a particularly favorable context to second Shelby's project: the Mustang, created in 1964, needed to increase its dominance and its market share against Chevrolet and Plymouth.
Only six copies of the 1965 Daytona Cobra Coupe were built. This model is the most prestigious of Shelby. One of them came in an auction organized by Mecum on May 15 in Indianapolis.
A new press release indicates that this car has not been sold, but that an after-sale offer was made at $ 7.5 million. It was not enough. On the occasion of the very large sessions of auctions of mid-August, Mecum presents this vehicle again, on August 15 in Monterey.
POST SALE COMMENT
This morning, the auction house is rightly proud to announce that their Cobra broke the auction record for an American car: $ 7.25 million. Releases prior to the sale had correctly shown that this was an exceptional lot.
This price does not include fees. This would be consistent with the information that I indicated in my article saying that a proposal to $ 7.5 million had been refused.
1965 The First FAV Roadster
2019 SOLD for $ 7.7M including premium
Ford's target was to beat Ferrari on its own ground, Europe. The GT40 project is entrusted to Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV), a new subsidiary created in 1964 at Slough, near Heathrow Airport.
The development includes twelve prototypes, numbered GT/101 to GT/112. The first seven, in 1964, are coupes preparing the model for Le Mans. The last five are open-roofed roadsters. Ford's sporting goal is achieved with the full podium at Le Mans in 1966. FAV is dissolved and the Slough factory is sold to John Wyer as a subcontractor for Ford's commercial production.
The roadster prototypes aim to demonstrate the duality of use of the GT40 for road and competition. The roadster uses a special steel chassis. The production model will be the coupe, probably in a goal of industrial standardization.
The GT/108 and GT/109 roadsters are completed simultaneously in March 1965 and sent for testing to Carroll Shelby in California. GT/108 is demonstrated in a promotional tour while GT/109 is entered in Le Mans. Both cars will then be used as development models for the GT40 J-Car variant in another subsidiary of Ford, Kar Kraft.
Restored after 1983 in its original configuration, GT/108 was sold for $ 7M including premium by RM on August 15, 2014. It had been discussed in this column before the sale. It is estimated $ 7M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 16, lot 252. Please watch the video shared in 2014 by the auction house including an introduction by Edsel Ford II, the son of Henry Ford II.
GT/109 is also known in this column : it passed at Mecum on January 12, 2019.
The development includes twelve prototypes, numbered GT/101 to GT/112. The first seven, in 1964, are coupes preparing the model for Le Mans. The last five are open-roofed roadsters. Ford's sporting goal is achieved with the full podium at Le Mans in 1966. FAV is dissolved and the Slough factory is sold to John Wyer as a subcontractor for Ford's commercial production.
The roadster prototypes aim to demonstrate the duality of use of the GT40 for road and competition. The roadster uses a special steel chassis. The production model will be the coupe, probably in a goal of industrial standardization.
The GT/108 and GT/109 roadsters are completed simultaneously in March 1965 and sent for testing to Carroll Shelby in California. GT/108 is demonstrated in a promotional tour while GT/109 is entered in Le Mans. Both cars will then be used as development models for the GT40 J-Car variant in another subsidiary of Ford, Kar Kraft.
Restored after 1983 in its original configuration, GT/108 was sold for $ 7M including premium by RM on August 15, 2014. It had been discussed in this column before the sale. It is estimated $ 7M for sale by RM Sotheby's in Monterey on August 16, lot 252. Please watch the video shared in 2014 by the auction house including an introduction by Edsel Ford II, the son of Henry Ford II.
GT/109 is also known in this column : it passed at Mecum on January 12, 2019.
