Yes, there were 2,591 factory GT V-8s produced, all indications are
that there were 7 cars built and completed to LHD US Federal standards.
Some of these were sent to the US for evaluation, but when BL pulled
the plug on US sales of the car, the LHD cars were all sent back to the
UK and were subsequently sold to European owners. All of the LHD cars
still exist and are in Europe.
One pre-production series LHD V-8 bodyshell was found in the UK and
bought by Lyle York on the East Coast, as far as is known, the car had
never been completed by the factory. York had the car restored and
built up with V-8 parts and (with great amounts of bureaucratic difficulty)
imported the car into the US.
There are about 12 RHD factory cars that have made it to the US, most
came in during the 1980s when the automotive gray market was at its
peak. I am fortunate to own one of these, although it is a bit of a
rustbucket and will require full restoration. It's hard to put a
value on these cars because they are so rare here. I know I will be
in the hole once the restoration is completed, but since I plan to
keep it long enough to be buried in it, who cares?
(V-8 owner's motto - ("Friends don't let friends drive 4-cylinders")
Safety Faster,
Paul Kile
Paul D. Kile
kile_paul@aphub.aerojetpd.com
(916) 355-5162
GenCorp Aerojet
POB 13222
Dept 5784 Building 20019
Sacramento, California 95813-6000
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