The Ford GT40's heir is back in the spotlight — and Ford has nothing to do with it. South African outfit Cape Advanced Vehicles is preparing to debut a brand-new mid-engine supercar codenamed Special Project. The date is no accident: June 18, exactly 60 years since the GT40 handed Ferrari a public thrashing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
CAV has long been known for top-tier GT40 replicas and restomods. But Special Project isn’t a clone anymore. It’s a story of its own. And yet the teasers practically scream their kinship with the 1960s legend.
Look at the details. Four vertical taillights on an aluminum console — a dead-on reference to the classic GT40’s lighting. Air intakes on the rear deck — pure Mk II, the very version that finished off the rivals in ’66. And one teaser leaves no room for doubt: a light-blue paint job with a golden number 1 — the livery in which the GT40 climbed onto the Le Mans podium 60 years ago.
Beneath the body sits a carbon-aluminum monocoque with an integrated roof and pillars. The front and rear sections bolt onto extruded structural subframes. According to one source, CAV is eyeing a 500-hp naturally aspirated V8 — or up to 800 hp with forced induction. A modern take on the GT40 idea, but without Ford’s involvement. Ironic? Maybe. Exciting? Absolutely.
