The History of the TDF Mustang #82 DPK5B

Mustang 5F07K208109, built between 18 and 20th July 1964 at Dearborn and delivered to Holman-Moody first, then exported to Alan Mann/Byfleet/UK was driven by Bo Ljungfeld at the Tour de France 1964 as car #82

Mike Salmons Mustang period is quite well documented. 

I contacted Mike himself in March 2005 for further research and this is what he answered:
"I was most interested to receive your letter and page through your clubmagazine. ...I don't know what happened to the car exactly after my ownership, it is such a long time ago. I do know however that the well known rally driver Rob Slotemaker owned the car for some time in the late 60ies, maybe early 70ies, as he telephoned me to discuss the Mustang at some length, but whether or not it is still in Holland is anybodys guess." 

Mike went on: "Over many years of racing most of the great classic cars, I have to tell you that both the Ford Mustang and GT40 proved to be the most unreliable. The situation may well have improved over the years, but at that time the engines gave nothing but trouble. Camshafts wearing out within a few hundred miles, bearings turning on the crankshaft with the GT40 causing engine seizure...this happened no less than 3 times in one season. Perhaps you can understand why I am no lover of american engines. 

I see your friend Jeffrey has been in touch with Brian Lewis, then mechanic of Alan Mann and later for me at Atherstone Engineering. He was a first class mechanic. My very best wishes for the future of your club and thank you once again for sending the magazine." 
Michael Salmon/2005

Indeed Mikes DPK5B engine was replaced during 1965 already.


From that point on it was easier to trace the car a step further:

Thanks to Martin Fokkens from www.racehistorie.nl and Arjan Nugteren we got a few pics of Slotemaker driving the car in various events like the 68 Zandvoort Grand Prix and the 1971 Zandvoort event. 

At that time he raced under the banner of the Algemeen Dagblad Racing Team. 

Rob Slotemaker and co-driver Heuvel driving DPK5B at a dutch event
Picture courtesy Martin Fokkens from racehistorie.nl

The car and Slotemaker was still around in 1968 as shown here. Pic thanks to M.Fokkens from www.racehistorie.nl

DPK5B from Slotemaker followed by a DPK7B licenced plate, the last one being not the winning TDF car, instead this licence plate obviously got attached to the fomer Brabham car during export for any reason we don't know yet. We still believe that DPK7B did not return to Europe. (Last records show it a being used by Skip Scott - see separate page)

The Brabham car is recognisable from the golden stripes on the dark red car, which are the same as during Ronny Lyons ownership in the UK. In this race it was used by driver Jan van Straaten, later sold to Willem van der Ende and later wrecked, s the records go.

In March 2006 Alain Goupy from Le Mans contacted us and claimed to have this car still in his ownership and sent a number of period photos, documents and statements about the cars condition and where and how he found it.

The Slotemaker Mustang (the former TDF DPK5 car) had obviously changed hands at a certain time to Serge Trosch from Belgium. Serge drove a few events in 1968/1969.

Alain Goupy bought the car from Belgium. When he found an ad in a paper, he contacted the Belgium owner and visited the shed, where it was stored..."burried in pieces in between pinball machines".

Just to learn ... that the owner had sold the car to a nearby dealer. Alain went immediately to that dealer and bought the car from him, just 40% over the value it was advertised before. 

The DPK5B then was extensively raced in France in the 80ies until it was stored away in 1989. 

We have seen the VIN 5F07K208109 in the stampings during its visible lifetime. The historic customs documents indeed proove the VIN to be one of the 4 written on a Ford letter to Alan Mann Racing and the DPK5B licence plate was as well documented there. 

Whether the car belongs to the papers, can only be inspected by genuine Alan Mann mechanics like Brian Lewis or John Grant checking out the specific welds and tricks they did on the Tour de France cars.

Picture courtesy  Alain Goupy. This picture  shows the car as being raced in the late 80ies.

The car underwent another restoration by Gérard Cotteret in France, as we heard already in 2006 and was subsequently sold to Alain Schlesinger.

Alain sold it to Speedmasters in 2009 to the UK. There it was on sale for roughly 185.000 pound Sterling (around 250.000 Dollar), as a representative of Speedmaster informed us.

Race pass around 1990 with DPK5B licence plate pics

You could spot it back then also at http://www.speedmastercars.com/instock.html.

The car seems to have been sold as of 2013 back to France again. Owner is a known racer named E.C.

Mustang Monthly's Mark Houlahan ran a notice in one of their autumn 2014 magazine, that the car was found "recently". Well it was not found, this "survivor" is known to insiders for more than a decade ...at least just to correct that MM writing.

The car was sent to be restored in a Mustang garage in Toulouse by the current owner. To be finished until end of January 2015. As any restoration it seems to have stalled.

The french Mustang and Shelby Magazine was going to run an article on it in one of its publications, but I haven't seen the publication yet being done. As far as I know they pulled out.

The car was as of December 2014 shown on a webpage by SUPRACARS Tony Erker in "car list 2014-2".

Thanks to all contributors for their help in tracing the history of DPK5B down.

Unfortunately through to late 2015 none of the owners had  taken the offer to have the car inspected by a genuine Alan Mann mechanic. We can only state as of now therefore that the VIN stamping is legit as inspected during some of the restorations, what remained of the rest of the car in at least 4 restorations needs some eagle-eyed inspection.

As of October 2015, the car was offered for an inspection to the new Alan Mann racing team (run by his sons Tom and Henry)  and has finally been picked up by them as of June 15th, 2016.

As of July 2017 it saw the light again and was driven by Henry Mann for the first time in the footsteps of his father at the Goodwood track. It looks really good and I am sure it was restored to best knowledge of all involved parties.

A piece of history that made it back to its stable and then on one of the original racetracks that saw Alan Mann Mustangs in 1964. Congratulations to the owner and fortune with the car. We hope this was at least the final restoration in its lifetime.

As of September 9th, 2017, the car went to auction with Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival event.
However with the reserve not met, the last bid stalled at 220.000 Pound Sterling.

Pictures courtesy Bonham

Noteable is the re-modification to the uneven firewall brace holes. Actually the TDF cars were not export brace equipped, but domestic DSO cars sent to Holman-Moody. For quite a while this car had another brace mount bracket welded to the firewall.

The car will be featured in a Motorsport Issue in October 2017.

Read on - Exclusive on Ponysite:

The History of the '64 TDF winner Mustang DPK7B
The History of the '64 TDF second winner Mustang DPK6B

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The History of the '64 Liege-Sofia Mustang DPG3B
The History of the '64 Liege-Sofia Mustang DPJ8B