A unique Ford GT prototype is for sale. Raid the piggy bank

We should dub today ‘Ford GT Day’ on Top Gear. First, Ford revealed the driver line-up for its WEC entry. Then it told us the forthcoming road car would have more power than its racing counterpart. And now this.
 
This is no ordinary Ford GT. This is ‘Confirmation Prototype 1’, or CP-1 for short, and it was the very first new-age Ford GT to move under its own power. And now you can buy it for an undoubtedly vast sum of money.
 
The seller, Exotic Classics, says the red, white and blue prototypes first shown in 2003 were non-runners. That makes CP-1, wearing VIN 004, the first GT to be fitted with a fully functioning powertrain and interior.
 
Sold to a collector in 2008 (only after Ford had fitted it with a 5mph speed-limiting chip…), CP-1 is in many ways quite different from the finished article. It has a carbonfibre rear clamshell which, after Ford learned it would cost around £30,000 per car to produce, never made production.
 
The airbags are from a Mustang – see that logo? – and the steering column from the Windstar MPV. There are two quick release valves connected to the fuel tank, which enabled engineers to switch between fuel grades more easily. Typical prototype.
 
It also bears the signatures of Carroll Shelby, Bill Ford and chief designer Camillo Pardo.
 
Price? The seller doesn’t specify, but we’d bet on lots. Worth it though, right?

Images: exoticclassics.com