1966 Ford Holman-Moody Mk II Roadster

Description 1966 Holman-Moody Mk II Roadster VIN – P-202 Engine – 427 V8 Transaxle – T-44 4-speed Red with Black Interior Highlights of this Holman-Moody Mk II Roadster – Historically accurate roadster constructed by Lee Holman – FIA eligible 7-liter with potential acceptance to world class events – A superb Mk II proven with video track footage taken at Lime Rock History of the Original Mk II The 1960s was one of the most impressive decades of sports car performance engineering. Racing and production sports car development shared significant advances benefiting greatly from the overlap between advancing aerospace technology, material sciences, and horsepower wars. Conceived and developed by a Who’s Who of motorsports engineering, the Holman-Moody Mk II has become an American performance dreamscape, one that defines this extraordinary convergence of engineering, competition, and courage. The origin of the Mark I and II is framed by Ford’s advances to Ferrari for a potential company purchase. After spending millions of dollars to investigate the financial health of Ferrari, Ford quickly learned of the challenges dealing with Enzo Ferrari. As negotiations advanced, CEO Henry Ford II was stunned when Ferrari pulled out of negotiations. The infuriated “Hank the Deuce” vowed to beat Ferrari at his own game, setting his sights and formidable resources on racing. After initial development in 1963, the first Mk I was completed in 1964, but arrived with less than promising results. Later that year, Ford delivered the project to Shelby American who would gradually improve the cars, refine the chassis, and begin establishing the Mk I as a force to be reckoned with. Eventually the more robust and highly capable Mk II would introduce the impressive Ford FE 427 big-block V8 mated to a T44 4-speed. The Mk II would rise to prominence, culminating in the 1, 2, 3 Le Mans photo finish that would captivate the world, becoming the subject of the award winning contemporary major motion picture film “Ford vs Ferrari”. In addition to the Le Mans sweep, the Mk II would bring Ford the 1966 Manufacturers Championship. With significant differences in construction and performance, both the Mk I and Mk II occupy important places in the history of these great cars. However, the Mk II is considered the premier engineering example brought together by Carroll Shelby, Holman-Moody, Ken Miles, and a host of exceptionally talented team members, all of whom contributed to the success and legacy of these cars. The 427 powered Mk II not only allowed for 200+mph speeds at Mulsanne, the power and durability of the engine, 427 power handled by the Ford-developed T44 transaxle, robust monocoque structure, and larger brakes elevated the Mk II to the legendary winning status that built their vaulted worldwide reputation. Holman-Moody History and Build Specifications As the FIA manufacturer of record for Mk II cars, Holman-Moody remains today the only source for an accurate original build of the Le Mans winning Mk II. Today a genuine Mk II captures a rightfully important place in the pantheon of premier collector vehicles. And while a handful of contemporary shops offer kits that replicate approximate dimensions and performance of the original Mk I cars, only one company has the name, history, tooling, precise records, blueprints, and historic fabrication experience to faithfully construct a genuine race-ready continuation of the original Mk II – Holman-Moody of Charlotte, NC. Operating today as an ongoing force in motorsports excellence, Lee Holman has continued the legacy of his father and partner developing the most accurate Mk II, an FIA approved Mk II of precise specifications. Constructed using the original blueprints for these ground-breaking cars, Holman’s cars use chassis fabricated by Tennent Panels, UK, the official supplier of Mk II chassis at the close of the racing program. and the original forming bucks to build the chassis for these specialized cars. Uninterested in building a copy or replica, every effort has been made to assemble the most original Mk II possible. When the owner of this car commissioned the build a few years ago, Lee Holman, at 6’ 2”, wanted to improve the fit of his personally configured Mk II. With Holman evaluating internal construction plans for a roadster, he suggested the roadster configuration for this build. Originally built as an experiment in lightweight construction, the Mk II roadster that was built in period, has not survived. This car is an exact continuation of that car, enhanced with only safety-related improvements. Construction of this Holman-Moody Mk II roadster was performed at Holman over a period of over a year as Lee Holman, Jim Rose and other team members who were personally involved in the original Mk II build team crafted this car. Having retained an original and uniquely formed Mk II roadster windshield when Holman-Moody were building the five original Mk II roadsters, Lee Holman offered to build this first and only Mk II continuation roadster. As the first Mk II roadster was constructed using alloy panels for some of the structure, these riveted alloy panels quickly weakened under the rigors of Sebring competition. In this build, steel panels were used to form a safer and more durable monocoque structure. In addition to the Tennent Panels construction using original Ford jigs and tooling, the pressed steel monocoque structure was formed to specifications at Holman-Moody by Jimmy Tucker and Jim Rose, both of whom were members of the racing team for Ford at Le Mans. Further improvements were engineered into this roadster design including a full B column and chromoly bar fitted to the side and back edges of the windshield. Two removable side bars were also installed, linking the windshield structure to the rear brace. This closed roll bar construction allows acceptance to racetracks that require full roll bar protection and improves overall structural rigidity under the stres