Introduction

Being a teenager in the 1960s I was very much into motor racing, particularly sports cars. One summer in the late sixties, my hometown organised for some racing cars to be demonstrated around the town centre. One of these cars was an original FORD GT40 driven by the late Paul Hawkins. This car immediately captivated me. It was so beautiful, but also so aggressive. From that day on the GT40 was always a favourite of mine.

The next time that I saw a GT40 in the 'flesh' was in 1978 through my job, as a Manufacturing Engineer with the Ford Motor Company Ltd., when I was working on the launch programme for the new Escort at Swansea Axle Plant. Where, as most people know, FORD had either an original MK1 or MK3 on permanent display. Sadly the FORD plant closed many years ago and the cars were relocated elsewhere in the UK.

In March 2004 I had the unexpected opportunity to take early retirement. For a few months I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my time after doing the usual jobs in the garden and house. I went to a historic race meeting, where I set eyes again on a GT40, and the idea began to develop in my mind of maybe building a GT40 replica. I didn't know the first thing about replica kits and so I bought a couple of magazines and began trawling the internet and found various sites for replica kit manufacturers. I visited three different companies and after comparing their products and costs I decided to purchase my kit from MDA GT40 UK LTD, at Whimple, Devon.

I also had to find somewhere to build the car and store all the various components. After a few weeks of searching I found the ideal place in the form of a redundant timber framed farm building, which was 45 feet long by 15 feet wide, with a pitched roof and concrete floor. My access to the building commenced on the 1st October 2004 and I set about tidying it up and making it more secure. I used 40 litres of white emulsion to paint the walls and inside of the roof; purchased timber to make a ramp; purchased fire extinguisher; fire blanket; first aid kit; second hand carpets; new lighting; additional electrical sockets, etc. I also had to obtain all the necessary tools for the build programme and after buying some second hand shelving; tool trolley; workbench and a space heater, I then started to purchase the actual tools themselves. I've kept a detailed record of every expenditure on the building and tools, and so far to date, I have spent in excess of £2500on fitting out and equipping the building for this project. See Set-up And Equipment Costs.

I ordered my MK1 kit on the 4th August 2004 and she was delivered on the 17th December 2004. Not all of the kit was delivered at this time. The main items outstanding were: the engine; rear body section; driver's door; rear braking system; gear change mechanism, the steering column and many small items. I had decided to go for an all-new parts kit, as I basically didn't trust my life with some old FORD Sierra running gear. It's obviously a more expensive way to build a replica, but at the end of the day I thought, well, my life's at stake here, so lets go for the all-new route.

The 17th of December 2004 was a very exciting day. I had a couple of friends along to help with the unloading.

I had never done anything like this before, apart from building a model railway and model cars, so it was quite daunting, to start with.

A few weeks into the build programme a friend asked me if I had a name for the car, which I didn't. So after a lot of thought and racking my brain, I decided to call her 'Hilda'. My reasoning behind this choice is quite simple. The GT40, when she is completed, will be a very sexy looking car and she will need to be brought back down to Earth to keep her in her place, and 'Hilda' being quite a stern and straight laced name, seemed just right. Immediate apologies to all Hildas reading this note and who don't fall into the above category. Please send photos!!

Hence the name of ‘Hilda’ for my car.