Le Mans 1966 was one of the proudest moments in Ford’s history. Not only did the manufacturer take the championship from rival Ferrari, the 1-2-3 finish was a rare scene in the history of motorsport. At the upcoming Monterey Car Week sale on 24 and 25 August, RM Sotheby’s will auction one of the three heroic GT40 Mk II race cars.

Driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson at La Sarthe in 1966 and bearing number 5 on the body, this particular car with chassis number P/1016 was the third car to cross the finish line. It was assembled in 1965 and first raced at 24 Hours of Daytona in February 1966. While the race-tuned 7.0-litre V8 was one of the best of its time, P/1016 did not finish the race due to the broken experimental automatic gearbox. Its racing history ended in 1967 and it was privately owned from 1973, after spending a few years exhibited in a museum. The GT40 Mk II has been restored to its Le Mans specification with the photogenic gold livery, and is expected to sell for up to US$12million.