AN ICONIC Ford Mondeo with an amazing racing history and an incredible hidden bonus feature is set to go on auction.
The classic motor had been used as a test car ahead of the 1999 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and helped the American carmaker to produce a range of fiercely competitive vehicles.
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Ford Mondeos took home the top prize in 11 of 24 races in the 2000 season, elevating the racing team to win the Drivers’ Championship, and also nab both second and third place.
This incredible vehicle, now on sale through Iconic Auctioneers, is believed to be a “replica” of the test car used in the 1999 season.
The Mondeo Supertouring car is expected to sell for anywhere between £10,000 and £12,000.
It was converted from a racing motor into a simulator to feature on Ford’s stand at the Millennium Dome in 2000.
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Although it can’t drive on the road anymore, all the bodywork and the interior are believed to be kept the same from when it was a road-going car.
Its door is even signed by famed Swiss racing driver Alain Menu, who won the BTCC in 2000 driving a Mondeo.
Ford Team Mondeo also won the 2000 Manufacturers’ Championship and the 2000 Touring Teams Championship
The cabin of the racing motor still has its proper pedals, steering wheel, gearbox, and switches attached.
Bits of carbon trim can be spotted throughout the vehicle, which also comes with the added bonus of a TV built for the simulator experience.
It even comes pre-loaded with a copy of TOCA Touring Car Championship for the Playstation 1 in the car.
The racing game can be played on the large screen, which is fitted to a black stand and placed in front of the driver’s seat.
Top Gear described the second-generation Mondeo as having some “seriously sporty cues”, including “angry” curved headlights and a low boot lid.
The motor also comes with its iconic blue and yellow livery, famed in touring car history.
On top of this, the slight damages and blemishes to the bodywork and interior of the motor help to add to its authenticity.
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The auction will end on Thursday, April 10, at 7pm, with the highest bid currently being £2,500.
Its listing states: “This is a rare piece of Ford and Prodrive history, perfect for the garage.”
This comes as an iconic 1965 Ford GT40, which once starred in Top Gear, is set to go on auction.
The eye-catching racing car has been dubbed one of the most “historically significant” GT40s to ever go under the hammer.
The P1018 has been meticulously restored to its striking maroon design, and features a contrasting white stripe detail along the side panels.
Its interior is in excellent condition – with an impressive dashboard filled with dials and switches.
And if you want to know how the racer is powered you only have to lift up the back of the car to reveal its spectacular engine.
But what makes this car extra special is that it is one of just two GT40s constructed to this spec.
It was also the first to feature the three-hole chassis panel – which later became standard.
And what’s more – the car up for grabs is one of only two GT40s driven by racing legend Carroll Shelby.
I was a video game addict who failed his driving test – now I’m a professional racer and was even snapped up by F1 boss
THE FIRST time Jann Mardenborough sat behind the wheel of a racing car in 2011, his only experience of being on a track was in a video game.
The teenager had failed his driving test for being too hesitant and he had only tried out a go-kart at a friend’s birthday.
Yet, aged just 19, he found himself clocking 185mph around Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit as he competed for the chance to be a professional racer.
He later reached the podium in the gruelling Le Mans 24-hour race, won in Formula 3 and was signed by Formula 1 team Red Bull’s chief Christian Horner.
Jann, who grew up in Ely, Cardiff, showed that he could keep up with the rich kids who dominate the sport – as it typically costs hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to compete at the European level.
He started gaming well before you could earn a living from electronic sports — better known as esports — so his mum Lesley and dad Steve, an ex-journeyman footballer who played for Cardiff City and Wolves, did not approve of his obsession.
Jann says: “They would turn the internet off during those times when I would ignore them.”
