Monterey, CA – Bonhams|Cars has confirmed two historically important Ford-powered Indy and CanAm race cars will headline The Laguna Seca Auction at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, part of Monterey Car Week, on August 13, with further consignments now invited.
The sale is led by the unique Lola-Ford T70 Mark II CanAm sports-racing car, driven by the late, great American Formula 1, CanAm and Indy driver, Dan Gurney.
Driving the Lola-Ford T70 Mark II, Gurney scored a one-off win in the second round of the 1967 CanAm Championship series at Bridgehampton, Long Island - the only Ford-powered victory in the original nine-year tenure of the 'anything goes' CanAm Championship series from 1966 to 1974.
This ex-Dan Gurney All-American Racers-entered Lola-Ford T70 Mark II is powered by a small-block 305 cubic inch V8 and driven through a Hewland LG transaxle. Surviving original features of the car includes a modified rear cockpit bulkhead created by All-American Racers to provide the tall Dan Gurney with a comfortable driving position. Overall, the car's historic patina has been well preserved.
Joining the Lola-Ford T70 Mark II at the Bonhams|Cars Laguna Seca Sale is the 1967 Vollstedt-Ford 67B IndyCar, driven by Scotland's double-Formula 1 World Champion and 1965 Indianapolis 500-Mile race winner, Jim Clark.
During his eight-year Formula One career, Jim Clark drove almost exclusively Lotus-built cars. But in November 1967, he piloted the Vollstedt-Ford 67B IndyCar at the Rex Mays 300 road race at Riverside, California. Clark led the race before an engine problem ended his chances of winning.
This Vollstedt, with its 500 horsepower 4.2-litre 4-cam V8 engine, was campaigned by constructor Rolla Vollstedt between 1967 and 1969. During its 30-race life, further drivers of note of the Vollstedt-Ford 67B IndyCar included Indy 500 winners Gordon Johncock and Tom Sneva, as well as other multi-class Champions including George Follmer (CanAm and TransAm crowns), John Cannon (Formula A/5000) and Le Mans and Daytona 24-Hour race winner, Chris Amon.
Mark Osborne, Global Director of Motorsport of Bonhams|Cars, commented: "We are delighted to launch our inaugural Bonhams|Cars sale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, appropriately with two historically significant cars driven by such illustrious names in motor racing history as Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. The innovative Vollstedt, with its early, soon to be copied, 'tea-tray' rear wing, and the Lola T70 in which Dan Gurney secured the unique CanAm win under Ford power at Bridgehampton, gets the sale off to a flying start".
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca continues to host the premier series in North American auto racing, including the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale. With a rich legacy, spanning decades, the circuit has welcomed everything from SCCA competition and Can-Am legends to Formula 5000 and INDYCAR championship battles. It's a fitting stage, therefore, for Bonhams|Cars to showcase two exceptionally well preserved and presented race cars at its inaugural auction set in a venue that remains a global destination for classic and vintage motorsport enthusiasts.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.