Back in 1965 the Ford GT40 was a bad mother. That year, a Ford GT40 won Le Mans, breaking a streak of Ferrari wins and proving that American could build a sports car. Ford was so proud of the accomplishment, it built seven street-legal versions. One of those cars, pictured above, is going up for auction.

Expected to get at least $3 million dollars from potential purchasers, this GT40 had a few modifications to keep the driver safe and a little more comfortable. "The shocks were softened, the shift lever was moved to the center and the hard bucket seat was replaced by softer bucket seats for the driver and passenger."

So what's under the hood?

"Powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 engine that was detuned to 335 horsepower, it doesn’t really spell “power” as compared to today’s supercars. Bear in mind, however, that this car is 47 years old and back in `66, this was one of the most powerful cars that boys would drool all over."

The auction will be held in Arizona in January 2013.

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