It may have taken 18 years, but Tony Perkins’ childhood dream of owning a GT40 has finally come true.

Eighteen years is a long time in anyone’s language. Just think back over your own life and how much has happened during that period. But that is exactly how long it took for Tony Perkins’ dream to become a reality.

Back in 1990 Tony was a young single chap, and after returning from overseas he was going to invest the money he had saved in a house. Until he stumbled upon a GT40 replica in the newspaper, that is. From that moment on, life would be different — thanks to a move that he’s very grateful for, though he no doubt regrets it somewhat when he looks at property prices these days.

Over the 18-year build period the car has taken a back seat to many of life’s ups and downs — a wedding, three kids, various houses, businesses, you name it — but Tony knew that one day the car would be completed.

The fact that, according to Tony, he has no automotive ability might not have helped, but what really caused the long build time is that the kit wasn’t so much a complete car in parts, but a body shell and a few pieces of chassis. Actually, Tony’s self-professed lack of knowledge probably helped with the build, in that he was able to think outside the square to complete difficult tasks on the car.

The Classic Lines

Thankfully, the fibreglass body didn’t require much work to fit to the mild steel chassis Tony and friends put together. The only minor headache (almost literally) was the addition of the Gurney Bubble to the roof above the driver seat. Named after legendary driver Dan Gurney, the bubble allows tall drivers to fit in the car. After all, with a roof height of just 40 inches, interior space is extremely limited.

The car’s paint job is what sets it apart from the various other GT40 replicas on the road. The Gulf Western scheme is based on the 1968 Le Mans-winning GT40 that was sold back in 1989 for US$10 million. Whether you’re a Le Mans fan or not, the colours suit the car perfectly and give it an attitude that no other hue could match.

Classic Power

Tony originally wanted to build the car as a street and circuit-capable machine, but after finding out the race class it would fall into (the ultra-expensive GT1), that idea was dismissed. Instead it would be a dedicated street cruiser, but with enough power to live up to the hype the GT40s create.

Starting with a 302 Windsor from a 1979 Ford van, Tony had Woody from Falcon Automotive create a tough and reliable powerplant. “It’s so long ago now that I’ve forgotten some of the internal details,” Tony admits. “I know it’s got high-compression pistons, Boss rods and 1969 351 Windsor heads though.”

Sitting on top of the block there’s a 289 Torker intake manifold and a Holley 600cfm carb. GT40 enthusiasts may notice that the motor is mounted higher than usual. This is due to the Audi gearbox that was used.

Placing the motor up like this has its advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side the car has room for a custom 12-litre sump. The not–so–good side was that Tony had to cast his own air cleaner cover to get the filter to fit below the engine cover. His skills as a builder were brought in to play as he created a wooden template from which the metal could be cast.

The same technique was used to create a new end cap for the gearbox where the four-wheel-drive section of the ’box had been removed. “The Audi Quattro ’box has the same internals as a ZF ’box, but the ZF’s are about 20 grand,” Tony says. It’s hard to argue when all up the ’box and the custom work cost less than 10 per cent of that price.

Inside the bellhousing are a Cortina ring gear and V8 Falcon clutch, and custom axles now sit on either side of the ’box.