From Road & Track

Restoring a car is always a challenge, but restoring the Ford GT40 Mk. II that won the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans is an enormous undertaking. With a rare car like a GT40 Mk. II, you can't exactly head down to Pep Boys to pick up parts, even if it shared parts with some lesser Fords of the era. This video from RK Motors, a dealer in North Carolina, details many of the challenges associated with restoring this car.

Rare Motors, the New Hampshire shop RK tasked with restoring the GT40–the first GT40 to win Le Mans–has to rely on historical pictures of the car to bring it back to the state it was in when it left Carroll Shelby's shop. For example, the shop referenced a picture of Bruce McLaren buckling the seatbelt to track down a replacement harness for the car.

Other details, like the lights that illuminate the race numbers (which are 1960s Ford Ranchero license plate lights), and the bolts used throughout are extremely difficult to find. This particular car came with most of its original bolts, but the shop might need to fabricate some of its own to make sure everything matches perfectly.

Anything less for a car of this historical importance would be a crime.