Speedhunters: Behind the doors of CAV – Part1

In 1964, the Ford GT40 was released to the world. This was a car born purely out of the eagerness to give Ferrari a beat-down at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after a deal to buy Ferrari went sour between Enzo and Henry Ford – something that’s sure to be showcased in the forthcoming feature film Ford v. Ferrari.

The car’s first year of competition returned pretty dismal results, which is why the entire project was handed over to the legendary Carroll Shelby to try and make it successful. And successful it was when Ford beat Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. GT40 production came to an end in 1969, but since then numerous kits and replicas inspired by the original car have been built throughout the world.

It just happens that South Africa’s Cape Advanced Vehicles (CAV) create some of the very best.

The company was founded in 1999 in Cape Town, and today CAV specializes in building both roller and turn-key replica GT40s to the highest standards.

Many other GT40 replica-makers try to closely emulate the mechanicals of the original car, allowing for an authentic experience. But that of course comes at the expense of the driveability and creature comforts we’ve all become accustomed to in the modern age. CAV decided to do things differently by creating cars that are still as close to the original as possible when it comes to design, but step things up when it comes to the overall driving experience. Company CEO Jordi Reddy took over CAV in 2013, and that’s when the focus was shifted towards creating the world’s best modern GT40 replica – the CAV GT.

In 2016, CAV relocated to their current facility, where design, body and component manufacturing, paintwork and final assembly is all handled in house.

Read on in the next blog post or jump to the original article by Stefan Kotze for Speedhunters here.