Bob Bondurant’s ERA GT is racing ahead on BaT
The Bondurants are auctioning one of the family jewels—a replica of the Ford GT40P driven by Bob at Daytona in 1965. The ERA GT is finished in Guardsman Blue with Wimbledon White racing stripes and carries the number 72, just like the car that he ran to third place at the famous Florida race.
Bondurant described that Daytona outing as “The race that got away,” and, almost 50 years later, his wife Pat decided he deserved another drive, so she tracked down this right-hand-drive ERA as a Christmas present. During the next eight years Bob certainly made the most of it, using it regularly on track at his School of High Performance driving.
Among those being schooled by Bob in the GT were Adam Carolla and Christian Bale while he was in training for Ford v Ferrari. Behind the wheel himself Bob scored his last race win at the Pomona Raceway at the age of 79.
The ERA is powered by a 289 cubic inch V-8 mated to a five-speed ZF transaxle gearbox. The engine is a work of automotive art in itself with “bundle of snakes” exhaust headers, Cobra-branded valve covers, velocity stacks and four twin-choke Weber carburetors. Halibrand knock-off wheels with Goodyear racing tires are fitted, and the independent suspension deploys coilovers at each corner. Inside you’ll find fixed-back racing seats in black vinyl with Simpson harnesses, a quick-release Momo steering wheel, fire suppression system and battery isolator, a wooden shift knob on the right-side shifter, plus Smiths instruments and Lucas-style switchgear. Bob has even signed the dashboard.
The GT has covered 7,000 miles, of which around 500 were in Bob’s hands. After his passing in November 2021 the family made the decision to seek a new keeper for this cherished automobile. “It would be Bob’s greatest joy to assure that this unique and one-of-a-kind vehicle is enjoyed by an enthusiast who understands the true significance of this car and the love behind it,” said a statement on the Bondurant Racing School website.
At the time of writing bidding was up to $160,000 on Bring a Trailer, and given that Bob’s original race car sold for $7 million in 2014, it looks like this could be something of a Bondurant bargain.
