Money can buy you a fine dog,
but only love can make him wag his tail.

~Kinky Friedman 

By Rob Sass, Hagerty
May 22, 2014

RM Auctions of Blenheim, Ontario will be auctioning a rare open Ford GT40 prototype at its sale in Monterey, California this August. Although the auction company hasn’t disclosed a pre-sale estimate, it will almost certainly be in eight figures and set a world record for a Ford-badged vehicle sold at auction.

The origin of the Ford GT40 is perhaps one of the greatest stories in all of automobiledom:  It was a four-wheeled “screw you” delivered from Henry Ford II to Enzo Ferrari.  In the early 1960s, Ford was looking to buy the storied Italian make and evidently spent tons of money doing due diligence only to have Ferrari break off talks in a huff over control of the racing program. Henry Ford II directed his team to produce a car that would embarrass Ferrari on the world racing stage and the GT40 was born.

1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype: The origin of the Ford GT40 is perhaps one of the greatest stories in all of automobiledom: It was a four-wheeled “screw you” delivered from Henry Ford II to Enzo Ferrari. (Photo courtesy of Pawel Litwinski | RM Auctions)

This particular car, chassis GT/108 was the first of only four GT40 roadsters (the vast majority were closed cars) and it’s the only one of the extant roadsters still in its as-built configuration including unique nose and tail sections. It was used as a factory demonstrator by Ford and Shelby American. Famous drivers from Carroll Shelby  to Ken Miles, Jim Clark and Dickie Attwood all spent time behind the wheel of GT/108.

Because of their fantastic looks and their astonishing record of four consecutive Le Mans wins from 1966-69, GT40s (whose name comes from the fact that they sit just 40” tall) are among the most collectible race cars of the 1960s. RM sold a GT 40 that Steve McQueen’s production company Solar Productions acquired to do camera work for McQueen’s 1971 racing epic “Le Mans” for $11 million in 2012. Mecum Auctions sold another GT40 prototype in Houston last month for over $7 million, but it was a closed car, not a roadster. This particular car might be the most valuable of the three:  Dave Kinney, the publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide states that “individual history and originality of the chassis, body and components dictate value more than condition” although for the record, this one appears to be gorgeous.

Photo courtesy of Pawel Litwinski | RM Auctions

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Friends are a strange, volatile, contradictory, yet sticky phenomenon. They are made, crafted, shaped, molded, created by focused effort and intent. And yet, true friendship, once recognized, in its essence is effortless.

Best friends are formed by time. Everyone is someone’s friend, even when they think they are all alone.

If the friendship is not working, your heart will know. It’s when you start being less than perfectly honest and perfectly earnest in your dealings. And it’s when the things you do together no longer feel right.

However, sometimes it takes more effort to make it work after all. Stick around long enough to become someone’s best friend.

― Vera Nazarian

Everyone who’s ever been in a long-term relationship knows that feeling: when your significant other is away, you miss them intensely. Luckily, there are ways to deal with that feeling. This easy guide will show you how. Here are the steps.

1. Don’t stress if communication is not possible. Take into account where they are. If they’re cut off from technology, stop waiting for the phone to ring or for them to sign on to AIM. You know it won’t happen, so why stress it? Even if they might have computer or phone access, don’t wait by the phone for hours or be signed into AIM every free second. It’ll only make you miss them more.

2. Distract yourself. Plan a night with friends to get your mind off your significant other. If all your friends seem to have deserted you too, get out of the house. Go to the mall or the grocery store. Take a walk. Mail that package you “forgot” about.

3. Know that while it may not seem that way, they’ll be back soon. If you find yourself missing them, tell yourself that and find something else to do/think about.

4. If none of these tips work, consider finding out if the next time your significant other is on a trip, you can find some way to either go with them or vacation near where they’ll be. For example, if they’ll be in (or near) a big city like Los Angeles or New York, you could probably go with them and have fun. Or if they’re near only near a big city, you could visit the city and just drop in for a visit.

5. Don’t act as if you won’t survive without them. It only makes the situation worse. Sure, you miss them, but there are other important things in life.

6. Do little things that make you feel closer to him/her–wear his jackets, eat at your favorite restaurant, or look at pictures. It’s comforting to go back through good memories.

7. Try and do something special for his or her return. Planning it will help channel your excitement and keep you distracted, as well as make you feel like they’ll be back sooner.

8. Don’t talk to friends about how much you miss your significant other unless you know that they will be understanding and actually comfort you. People telling you to “get over it” often don’t understand that feeling of missing someone intensely and will make you feel worse.

Source: wikiHow