Seeing Red

WHEN SOMEONE “SEES RED,” it’s most often a description of anger or aggression. When Bill Swanson sees red, he sees beauty, pleasure, design, and engineering excellence. That’s because his collection, now numbering several dozen primarily exotic automobiles, are finished in red. His favorite edition of that passionate hue is Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa (Racing Red). When he orders a new Ferrari, it’s always Rosso Corsa. And often, when he acquires a car special enough to earn a spot in his real and metaphorical garage, it gets restored and repainted in this seminal Italian sports car color.

Swanson has had nice cars on and off over time, but only recently began building his singularly themed “paint them any color you wish, so long as it is red” collection. Mr. Swanson is a Tier One customer at several carmakers; his oeuvre includes Porsches, a Bugatti Veyron, a few Mercedes-Benz SLs, Shelby Cobras, new gen Ford GTs, and even a pint-sized BMW Isetta microcar dotted around his various coastal California car barns.

It’s not quite right to call any of these spotless, tastefully appointed spaces “barns” in the classic or negative sense, as each is immaculate and configured as proper car storage. The large, airy primarily white- finished buildings are about the size of your average CVS drugstore, and encompass a full chef’s kitchen, bar, dining area, loft office upstairs, guest room, bathroom facilities, and a storeroom. No barn this. Not to mention a charming wood bodied Model A pickup, and a Ford Super-Duty to haul it all around; interestingly enough, neither of which are red.

Mr. (and Mrs.) Swanson have worked hard and done well for themselves and invested deeply in the things that they enjoy the most. Swanson recently retired from his position as Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Corporation. Swanson started there as a beginner level engineer, out on the production floor, designing and developing technology, and worked there for 42 years, the full length of his career. Now in “retirement,” Swanson is still a much in-demand consultant when it comes to casual undertakings such as international cyber security.

Why all the red paint you may wonder? Simple enough: it all began with the first red Ferrari he owned. So, one Ferrari became two, then more, and then more, and before long the Swansons’ “red sea” had become a thing.

And among the various marques in the red stable, you’ll now find three Ford GTs. The newest model years among them were built to order for the Swansons; these include the first V-8 GT, an early-build from 2005, and the newest GT, a 2019 model. Naturally, both are painted Ford Mk IV Red.

The most recent Ford GT to make the transition to red is a 1965 GT40 P/1027, a unique piece in the anthology of 60s era Ford GTs. A Small-block 289 cubic-inch V-8 as built, and otherwise fully spec’d and constructed as a racing GT40, the car wasn’t put into on-track service with Shelby American, Holman Moody, or any of the other factory authorized and supplied teams as a front-line racing machine.

World renown Ford GT expert authority Ronnie Spain described it thusly: “GT40 P/1027 was completed new to unusual specification, as per the race version GT40, but was also finished off as a show car and painted special Belgian Racing Yellow for display from new at the Brussels Motor Show in February 1966. Only GT40 P/1027, GT40 P/1018 and GT40 P/1020 were built new with this dual “identity” setup. GT40 P/1027 was outfitted specifically for display at the Brussels show, and that seems, by all accounts, to have been the end of its use as a show car.”

Immediately post its life as a runway model, 1027 had a date with the Silver Screen, as it was commissioned to M.G.M. studios for use as a high-speed action camera car for John Frankenheimer’s seminal Grand Prix, starring James Garner, Yves Montand, and Eva Marie Saint.

Again, according to Mr. Spain: “For supply to M.G.M. the car was repainted in white with a black centre stripe and dark blue sill lines. Filming with the car was conducted at Monaco, Brands Hatch, Watkins Glen and Sebring, among others. Known drivers include F1 World Champions Phil Hill and Jack Brabham, as well as Bob Bondurant. The car was also displayed in December 1966 at Los Angeles’ Motorama show in full, Grand Prix camera car trim.”

Following its show car career, and the Ford GT’s era as a factory, front line racing model, 1027 was sold into private hands, and along the trail, its original powertrain was swapped for a highly exotic, 255 cu. in. Ford DOHC Indy V-8, which was never factory installed or homologated in the GT40, and the car was also raced extensively in private hands, which naturally meant that many of its rare and original OEM parts and fittings were used up, damaged, changed and/or replaced along the trail.

All of this “evolution” from the car’s original, as-built state, and subsequent privateer racing career, and several ownership changes, naturally meant a complete to-the-nubbins disassembly, and further that a beyond platinum level restoration was in order, necessitating a comprehensive return to its original Small- block Ford V-8 configuration, and of course, full refinishing in Rosso Corsa red.

A color change – blasphemy you say? Not by the standards of the Swansons collection. Plus, substantial panel work, and the crateload of NOS parts that either needed to be sourced or authentically remade from scratch.

Swanson entrusted this complicated and exacting undertaking to Mark Allin, and his Rare Drive, Incorporated staff. This job not only entailed the expected amount of chassis restoration, metal and fiberglass work (and replication) plus a worldwide parts search and again highly authentic levels of component recreation; be it small fittings, hoses and lines wiring — no matter, it all had to be right, and as close to how Ford engineered, spec’d and built this car in 1965.

The effect of this otherworldly rebirth is simply startling; from two feet away, twenty feet (or yards) away, 1027 is now and again a jaw dropper. It positively glows, and the stance, originality and brilliant finish work will stop any onlooker in their proverbial tracks.

The GT’s coming out party, and first major concours appearance was at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1027’s provenance and granular level of authenticity and originality, doubly impressed the Pebble Judging team for a hotly contested First Place in Class, and a well-earned, and thundering trip over the winner’s display ramp, its crisp sounding race tuned 289 and “bundle of snakes” headers and exhaust system rapping and cracking to the crowd’s delight. Perfectly completing the Swansons’ trifecta of brilliantly red Ford GTs.

This amazing race car has it all; it’s a factory Ford GT40 build and show car, played an important role in a seminal motorsport film, and now a concours winner. Sometimes you get the car, and sometimes you get the story. With P/1027, you get both.

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